Shattered Mirrors
by Arayelle Lynn
Summary: 1xR 2xH 4xDxOC The war against the aliens is over but the Gundam pilots paid the most costly price. Now the Earth Force is preparing to take the fight to the alien's homeworld but first, the boys will have to battle their greatest foe yet, each other!
1. Prologue

**DISCLAIMER:** Gundam Wing belonged to Sunrise and co. I'm not making any profits out of this, so don't sue. Oh, those you think you've never heard before belong to me. And feedback is very welcome, people!☺

**TIMELINE:** The story takes place after Survival of the Fittest, I'd say almost two years.

**NOTE:** **"SHATTERED MIRRORS"** is the first part of a duology called **"SHATTERED"**. I've never done a duology before, so bear with me. And don't ask me why I'm doing a duology, I don't know the answer myself. And enjoy, it's going to be a rough ride.

SHATTERED MIRRORS : PROLOGUE. 

By Arayelle Lynn.

                The wind blew, flapping his overcoat gently. The air was humid, a mixture of the late warm summer air and the chill of the coming autumn. He knew in just a few more weeks, the rain would start, marking the beginning of the season before winter.

                Involuntarily, he smelled the air. He savoured the sweet smell of flowers and the trees around him. Though it's already dark and that the flowers had already withered, he wanted to keep the memory of the sensation close in his heart. For it would take six long months for him to experience the same thing again. Provided if he survive the coming ordeal.

                But he never worried about that. He's a soldier after all. His life was always at the feet of death wherever he went. But he had been lucky. He had escaped death so many times that he'd lost count when he turned 15.

                But maybe, just maybe, his luck was about to run out.

                Dying for the sake of mankind, ah, what a noble cause! He had a comrade, a friend, that had sacrificed her life for the sake of mankind. Sure, her sacrifice was never made known or thanked but still, it was noble. He had spent his entire life waiting for a chance like hers. Maybe now he might have that chance.

                Even so, a part of him saddened by the thought. If he dies, he would be leaving so many dear ones behind. People who depended on him, on his strength. Could he truly cast aside their needs to fulfil his own desire for a noble end? Would he be called as selfish?

                No. He still has a long way to go. There are people who still need him.

                Like his fellow Gundam pilots now.

                Something fishy is going on here, he found himself thinking for the thousandth of times. He didn't know what it was but the fact that  it started with the person who's close to him made it fishy. And the fact that later, he found out that another who was close to him was probably involved made it even fishier.

                How could a dead person got involve in this thing? And why?

                The first question was an easy one. He had known this person. Knew that death always escaped him. He himself had seen it.

                But the second question? _That_ would require a _very_ damn good explanation.

                And that led him here.

                Gathering his inner strength, he began to move. Days ago, he had been made known by an anonymous tip that strange activities had been going on in this area. The tip hadn't been much of a help but whoever it was had mention that the ESUN and the Gundams are in danger.

                Trusting the tip, since he considered it had come from the source he could trust, he followed the lead. He half expected that his old friend would show up, to reveal what was going on. And why had he played on with his supposedly demise.

                But his friend never showed up. And so feeling obligated, he stayed on, waiting and watching. He thought that his friend would reveal himself once he had learned what he was supposed to learn from this stakeout.

                  After watching their activities for some time, he found out that these people had been smuggling weapons and storing them in this warehouse. He didn't have much time to figure out who could be involved but he planned to save it for later. Right now, his duty was to destroy the warehouse before they started to ship the weapons out.

                Yes, he could've waited until these people deliver the weapons and find out who's the master of operation so he could destroy all of them at the same time. But he knew that if he did that, he would be attracting too much unwanted attention and that would reveal to the civilians just how fragile peace was.

                Especially since many still held prejudice and suspicion on the remaining Telrhani. Any unwanted incident that happen in the colonies would certainly be traced back to them. Even the ones initiate by the _humans_. Yes, this one was not by the Telrhani. He had determined that days ago, that humans were the _only_ ones involved in this smuggling ring. But if anything happen, if anything was made known, he knew that the Telrhani survivors will get the blame.

                No, he couldn't afford too much attention on this matter. The fate of Relena Darlian's peace treaty with the Telrhani hung too much in balance. And the fact that his supposedly dead friend had not appeared told him that more was at stake if things were not handle in complete confidentiality. No, he must do this quietly. Nice and clean.

                He entered the warehouse. He killed those who stood in his way, effortlessly. There were some who offered some resistance but years of trainings in his part made it easy for him to thwart their efforts. Then, he took some of the explosives from the crates and activated enough to destroy the weapons and the warehouse. He left no trace of any weapons, just charred pieces of the warehouse.

                He did all that in just minutes.

                After making sure that he had made everything _nice and clean_, meaning no witness or leftovers, he walked up to his truck. It's time to report to the proper authorities, meaning The Preventers, so they would at least have the _real_ story behind the _mysterious_ explosion of the warehouse. He knew that the news would report it as a leaking gas pipe explosion, but he owed to the Preventers for the truth so they would be aware of the danger.

                And be aware that the person thought long dead was still alive.

                But he never got through to the Preventers.

                As he was climbing into the truck, he was startled to find a note on the passenger's seat:

_'You've been had…'_

So startled he was that he never got the chance to wonder what it meant. But a painful feeling of betrayal seeped through him like chills in the winter night. Then, a loud explosion drowned his thoughts and his very existence.

                A long distance away, a figure stood watching the fires engulfing the truck and the Gundam pilot. He had been the one who gave the pilot the tip. In fact, he had been the one who organized the trap. He had known that the pilot would choose this day to take the bait. He had known the pilot's every move.

                How?

                Because he knew this pilot better than the pilot knew himself.

                But he was a little sad at the thought of not meeting him face-to-face. It would be interesting to see what happen then. What his reaction would be when he found out that he had been betrayed. By the person he trust the most.

                But the mission came first. Regardless what he desired.

                "Rest in peace, my friend," he murmured, casting the fireball one last look. "Rest in peace, Trowa Barton. Gundam pilot Heavyarms."

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Autumn, After Colony 200.

                For almost two years, mankind struggled to recover from the devastation of war against the Telrhani. It seemed as if mankind had learned the lesson of unity during the Telrhani invasion. And under the recommendation of the Earth Sphere United Nation's President, an Earth Defence Force was formed to thwart any other attempt from the remaining Telrhani as well as to help out the Preventers maintain peace in the solar system.

                As it stood, rescue plans were already underway. Despite the policy of demilliterization, the ESUN was forced to reopen the production of weapons as well as battleships to prepare for the rescue mission. Soldiers were trained and retrained to make the mission to the Telrhani homeworld as successful as possible.

                Despite that, the ESUN didn't abandon their hope for a peaceful solution. Even now, ESUN's Vice Foreign Minister Darlian and her team were working tirelessly to form a relationship with the remaining Telrhani so they could at last reach an understanding. But that proved to be quite a challenge.

                As for others, life continued as usual, bringing in new challenges in the ever changing world. Though, all had keep in mind of the battle that was coming. A battle that would see the Earth champions meeting the Telrhani forces. Again.

                However, none of them saw a new enemy among them. An enemy in a form very much like their own and that would plunge humanity back into the brink of war that they have fought in since the ancient times. An enemy that would initiate a war that would put the unity of mankind into test.

TO BE CONTINUED… 


	2. Haunted

**DISCLAIMER:** Gundam Wing belonged to Sunrise and co. I'm not making any profits out of this, so don't sue. Oh, those you think you've never heard before belong to me. And feedback is very welcome, people!☺

**TIMELINE:** The story takes place after Survival of the Fittest, I'd say almost two years.

SHATTERED MIRRORS I: HAUNTED. 

By Arayelle Lynn.

**PRESENT DAY…**

                It came out of the blue. And the impact was twice as bad.

                It all started with an old acquaintance Relena hadn't heard from in two years. At the time that the transmission was publicly broadcasted, she was with her brother, Zechs Merquise and his wife, relaxing after a long tiring week of endless meetings and visits.

                "My name is Duke Kent Winteridge," said the distinguished-looking man on the screen. "I'm the chief representative of the colonists of Jupiter." He paused, his face though grim, had a dangerous look on it. "Because of the incompetence of the Earth Sphere United Nation during the war against the Telrhani two years ago, I am hereby declaring our independence from the Nation."

                Both Relena and Noin were quickly on their feet. "What?"

                But Winteridge was not finished. "And we declare war on the Earth Sphere Nation." At the next words, Relena saw his eyes narrowed. "We aim to replace the inefficient ruling government with a leader that could meet the challenges against the Telrhani and show them the strength of our forces."

                "Should there be any out there who wish to follow in our resolution, they would certainly be welcome with open arms," he continued. "Let's show the Telrhani the glory of mankind, a thing that the Earth Sphere and their precious Gundams failed to show during the Telrhani invasion."

                With that, the transmission ended, leaving them too shocked to say anything.

                A few seconds later, the phone began to ring. Relena found herself picking it up and answering questions that she herself didn't have answers to. Every representative in the ESUN wanted to know how the new settlement on Jupiter dared to rise up and speak against them.

                It took Relena more than half an hour to set up an emergency meeting with the representatives. Then, under the ever watchful eyes of Zechs, Relena left for the meeting, which would be held in the ESUN official building on Earth.

                When Relena's limousine was gone, Zechs exchanged glances with Noin. Without any words, the married couple left the house to go to the only place where they would find answers. The Preventer headquarters.

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                They did not find their answers there. In fact, they found more questions.

                "Our only chance is to find out what Winteridge is up to," Sally Po was saying. They were all assembled in the head of Preventers' office. Lady Une sat behind the desk, her arms supporting her chin as she thought about the surprising development seriously. She had purposely ripped off the phone lines and ordered her agents against admitting anyone inside the room. After handling the frantic calls from the delegates for a hundredth times, she'd just had enough.

                It's been hours now since the transmission. But still they weren't making any progress.

                "And the only person who might've known about Winteridge's scheme is gone," Sally continued, sparing a glance at Lady Une. All knew that Sally was referring to Kylie Rayden, Une's late young charge. Two years ago, the girl had worked undercover as Winteridge's personal assistant for the purpose of protecting Quatre Winner. _That_ had proved to be a wild goose chase.

                Until now.

                Lady Une nodded her head. "Yes, Kylie might have known about Winteridge's plan. Or suspect something about it. She had tried to warn us about the duke, I remember." She sighed as the old memory replayed, painfully. "But then, we were too busy with the Telrhani invasion to take note of it."

                "And now, it's too late for past regrets," said Zechs, his eyes strayed on the three women. "We could only work on what we have now and make sure Winteridge won't make things any worse." He raised his eyebrow. "I notice that Wu Fei Chang isn't around."

                "He's not," Une told him. "He left as soon as the transmission ended. My guess is that he's planning to infiltrate the Jupiter's base before they set up their defense." She exhaled. "You know how Gundam pilots are, they love to race to the spot while it's still sizzling hot."

                Zechs nodded, in agreement. "Yes, only a Gundam pilot would dive into action the second trouble starts while the rest of us still trying to regain our bearings. I wouldn't even be surprised if the other pilots are already on the job as Wu Fei is."

                Noin nodded, feeling a little sad. "Reminds me of Heero in a lot of ways. If he's still here, he would've been able to see this coming. He would've stopped it from becoming." She sighed, regretfully. "We sure need him now."

                "Well, he's not here," said Zechs, reminding them. It's no use wishing for things that aren't there, Treize had always said.  "That means, we'll have to keep our faith on the _other_ Gundam pilots to get to the bottom of things."

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                Chang Wu Fei piloted his transporter carefully. He purposely used a supply transporter to disguise his infiltration into the Jupiter mother base. So far, his journey had been smooth sailing. The Jupitans didn't suspect anything about this supposedly late transporter as it entered Jupiter's atmosphere. But Wu Fei was trained well enough not to give in to complacency. And a minute later, his training turned out to be useful. 

As he was entering the atmosphere, he detected the first sign of trouble. A group of assault carriers was making their way to intercept him. And judging by their weapons' charge, Wu Fei guessed that they have orders to shoot to kill.

                Being caught well-prepared, Wu Fei fought them on. He was making a swift progress when suddenly the controls in the cockpit blinked, telling him the coming of some new enemies. Or rather, an old enemy.

                "Mobile dolls!" he hissed, disgustedly. He tried to outmaneuver them but was later reminded that the transporter couldn't move with the fluidity of a Gundam. And so, he headed for space, hoping to return to the headquarters and tell the others of his discovery. But the mobile dolls were intent on destroying him and soon, he found himself being surrounded. Determine not to go down without a fight, he battled them while waiting for the final kill.

                "Got your tail," said a voice as the mobile dolls started to explode. Wu Fei stared at an incoming assault carrier, surprised. A second later, a familiar face appeared. "You're alright, right?" that person asked, destroying the remaining MDs.

                Wu Fei nodded. "Yes. Couldn't really say the same about the transporter, though. But it ought to be enough to get me out of here."

                "Good. Let's blow this joint." With that, the carrier and transporter left Jupiter, heading for the same destination. Wu Fei looked back at Jupiter, to see if there's any sign of pursuit. He was satisfied to find none.

                "What do you think is happening, Trowa?" he asked.

                Trowa Barton glanced back. "Looks like we're going back to war."

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                The second Wu Fei and Trowa entered the room, they found Lady Une, Zechs, Noin, Sally and Relena were looking at them, expectantly. It had been 48 hours since Duke Winteridge's transmission and they'd came up with nothing that could help. Their only hope was that Wu Fei found out something in his little 'excursion'.

                "Trowa Barton," said Lady Une, in a way of greeting. The Heavyarms pilot nodded back at her and the others.

                "Well?" Relena prompted.

                Wu Fei shook his head. "The place has been sealed tight. I almost didn't make it but thanks to Trowa." He looked at his comrade. "You know something about this?" he asked, hoping that he at least had some answers.

                Trowa settled on an empty seat. He sighed. "There's not much I can tell you," he began. "A few weeks ago, I received an anonymous tip telling me about a smuggling ring on the L3 colony cluster." He grimaced at the memory. "But that proved to be a trap. I barely got out alive."

                Then his face hardened. "All I know is that the smugglers have something to do with Winteridge's retaliation. I guess he must've planned to eliminate me since I had been snooping around Jupiter not long ago." He shook his head at their hopeful looks. "And no, I didn't find anything suspicious. I was actually ready to drop the matter when the trap happened."

                "But what were you doing around Jupiter in the first place?" asked Zechs, watching him.

                "Quatre," Trowa answered, simply. "Ever since he lost Project Jupiter to Winteridge, he had been concern. He was trying to make sure that mankind got the most out of the project. But he was too busy rebuilding the colony on Mars so I volunteered to take a look around."

                He shrugged. "Besides, there's not much a circus boy like me could do since half the family are still missing."

                True enough. Trowa had been hanging around Quatre almost as frequent as he had with his sister, Catherine Bloom. But that's understandable. The young heir's state of mind had been their biggest concern ever since the Telrhani invasion ended. And it's only natural that Trowa felt the need to assist his surrogate little brother all he can.

                But that was a few months ago. Now, Quatre seemed to have recovered fully.

                Or so they think.

                An agent burst into the room, panting. The occupants turned to look at him, seeing the shocked look on his face. After taking a gulpful of air, he turned to Lady Une. "Ma'am, you've got to take a look at the news."

                Quickly, Zechs switched it on. The first thing they saw was Quatre Winner's face on the screen. He seemed to be saying something. "…Therefore I, Quatre Raberba Winner, heir to the Winner family and chief representative of the L4 colony cluster and the Mars colony hereby declare our independence from the Earth Sphere United Nation."

                "What!" Relena gasped as Trowa jumped to his feet.

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                "… We wish to join the Jupiter colony in establishing our own nation and declare war on the Earth Sphere United Nation," Quatre said through the transmission. "Those who oppose us will be dealt severely."

                The transmission ended but still, Duo Maxwell stared at the screen, disbelief. When Kent Winteridge's transmission ended, Duo had tried to contact Quatre and the others. But he couldn't get to any of them. And so, he decided to travel to the place where the action would most likely take place.

                He was only halfway to the Preventers' base when Quatre's transmission broke in. For a moment, Duo was so shocked that he didn't say a single thing. How could Quatre betray the very thing that he had given his life and soul to protect? How could Quatre betray the thing that _Kylie_ had sacrificed her life for?

                "It can't be!" he finally found his voice, still staring at the blank screen. "How could you, Quatre?"

                Suddenly, a thought came over him. Maybe Quatre's being taken prisoner! Maybe Kent Winteridge was forcing Quatre to do his biddings, using his sisters as his hostages!! When that possibility registered in his mind, Duo immediately realized how much in danger Quatre's in. Without hesitation, Duo piloted his shuttle away from the Preventer headquarters, towards LaGrange Point 4 colony.

                "Hold on, Quatre. I'm coming."

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                His eyes flew open. Something had awakened him in the middle of the night. He didn't know what but he felt something was changing right then. Something that he'd held dear and sworn to protect. Staring into the darkness, he listened to the silence, hoping it could tell him what had awakened him. But all he could hear was his own heartbeat.

                He swung his legs from the bed and got up. He walked out of his room and into the small living room. In another room opposite his, he could clearly hear the even breathing of his housemate. Hoping that he would not make much noise that could awake the other occupant of the house, he felt his way to another room.

                No, he wouldn't call it a room. He'd prefer to call it his haven. His very _huge_ haven.

                In the shadows, something loomed above him. He looked up, to see the feature of his old friend. As if knowing the new dilemma of mankind, its eyes glowed. Instantly, he knew that he would be leaving the place soon.

                "Looks like I'm needed once again, Zero," he whispered, feeling a slight dread. "It's time Heero Yuy rise from the dead."

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**THREE MONTHS AGO…**

                Quatre pushed aside the stack of papers he had just finished signing. He stretched his sore muscles and yawned. He had been working all night and all day and he had to admit that he badly need some sleep. So, he decided to rest his eyes for a few minutes before heading back home.

                Then he groaned, remembering his appointment with some foreign investors. He glanced at his watch, realizing that it was only a few minutes away. Sighing inwardly, Quatre started to gather the things that he needed for the appointment.

                And that's when she stepped in.

                "Dorothy!" he greeted, his spirits rose. "What are you doing here? I thought you're still on Earth."

                Dorothy Catalonia came over to her boyfriend, smiling. Yes, he's hers now. After his long self-torment over Kylie Rayden's death, she had made her love for him known and they'd worked their way on it until now. And it seemed to be doing great. Quatre was finally getting over Kylie and Dorothy was getting all the love she needed. Hilde and Duo Maxwell had even hinted that there might be a second wedding before long.

                "I got back early," she answered, giving him a quick peck on the cheek. That made Quatre blushed but Dorothy loved it because it made him look even cuter. "Anyway, I thought that you could use a walk in the park."

                His face dropped, helplessly. "I can't, Dorothy. I have an appointment in ten minutes."

                She quickly waved his words away. "I've canceled it."

                "What?" Quatre sputtered. "Why?"

                Dorothy reached out to touch his face. He looked a little haggard, the bags under his eyes were showing plainly. And he looked as if he had lost some weight. "Because you need a break," she explained. "You've been working your butt off for quite some time now."

                She quickly put a finger on his lips as he was about to protest. "Besides, Trowa made me promise to take you out for a walk." She then hooked her arm around his. "So, let's not disappoint him. It's a beautiful day outside."

                He smiled and nodded. "Let's go."

                Dorothy was right. The day was beautiful. The warm artificial evening sunlight bathed the green and colorful features of the park so perfectly that they felt as if they were walking in a park on Earth. There were people having a picnic everywhere, each wanting to make the most of the perfectly warm summer weather.

                And the young couple never felt such bliss and tranquility.

                "I wish today would just freeze itself so we could stay like this forever," Dorothy commented, inhaling the fresh air.

                "Don't," said Quatre, teasingly. "Or else we'll have a cold summer and none of us would be walking in the park right now."

                Dorothy punched him, playfully. No one ever knew how but over the months, Quatre seemed to have developed quite a sense of humor. They all took it as a good sign. It meant that Quatre was finally over his grief for his brief and fallen lover.

                "Silly, I don't mean that," she said, her heart warmed at that. "I just don't want the day to end."

                Quatre squeezed her hand. "I know, Dorothy. I wish for the same thing too." Both of them looked at each other, solemnly. They each had a lot of commitments to others that sometimes they made it hard for both to see each other. 

Quatre, aside being the heir to the Winner's fortune, was still the space colonies' ambassador. And Dorothy still had her own inheritance to manage back home and would sometimes assist Quatre in keeping contact with the Earth representatives. Both knew that they have to assist Relena Darlian while she was busy attempting to form a peaceful alliance with the remaining Telrhani. And that would mean doing some of Relena's job as well.

                The silence was interrupted by the chime of a bell. Quatre looked over her shoulder and instantly, his eyes brightened. "Hey, how about some ice cream?" he suggested, seeing an ice cream truck. Some picnickers were lining up along the truck.

                Dorothy spared a glance at the sun before turning back to him. She nodded. "Ice cream would be perfect."

                "Great," Quatre said, breaking away. "I'll be right back." With that, he jogged towards the truck.

                He placed his orders and waited, patiently. He glanced back to where Dorothy was standing and saw her looking over a rose bush. Seeing her like that reminded him how beautiful and peaceful she looked. Totally different from the Dorothy he had met and dueled with onboard Libra. And seeing her now put his heart at ease.

                When he heard the ice cream man called him, Quatre took the ice creams in his hands and walked back to her. It was then, at the corner of his eyes, he saw a familiar flash of red. Startled, Quatre froze in midstep. Quickly, he turned his head towards it. But aside from a tree, he saw nothing. Still, he couldn't stop the fluttering in his stomachs and the pounding in his heart.

                Suddenly, he had a distinctive feeling that someone was calling him. Broken out of his reverie, Quatre saw Dorothy was looking at him, concernedly. "Quatre, what's wrong?" she asked.

                He shook his head. "N… nothing. Must be the sun, I guess." He then handed her one of the ice creams and led her away. But his mind wandered at what he thought he had seen. And where he had seen it.

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                When Quatre finally got home, he was completely exhausted. A walk in the park with his girlfriend, Dorothy had been the best part in his day but as soon as he's home, he was reminded that he hadn't slept for two days.

                And so, after greeting his sisters and gently refusing their offers to serve him dinner (since he'd already eaten with Dorothy a few minutes ago) Quatre made his way to his room and began to undress. That's when he saw it. On the small table by his bed.

                The wooden panflute and a blood-stained dried rose.

                For a moment, he felt something stuck in his throat. He had been so busy that he'd nearly forgotten that they were lying there all the time. That every time he went to sleep, they were the ones by his side. How could he have forgotten them?

                Gingerly, he took the items in his hands. These were the only things that Kylie had left for him before she was gone. Shortly after she died, he had plunged into a state of silence and denial, which led him again to near insanity. He had nearly destroyed himself if it wasn't for Trowa and Relena. And Dorothy.

                Following that incident, Quatre began to heal himself. Dorothy's love for him supported him until he finally accepted Kylie's death. But Quatre knew that he would never be the same again. Kylie was a part of him that he would never find himself willing to forget.

                But he did forget. Dorothy somehow managed to put herself in that place where Kylie had once reigned. A place where Quatre had sworn was meant for Kylie and Kylie alone. But somehow, surprisingly, Dorothy found her way there. She had made him happy, happier than he had ever been in his life. And for a moment there, he'd forgotten that sorrowful part of his life.

                Until now.

                What had made him remember again?

                Then he recalled it. The flash of red he thought he had seen in the park. It was the same shade as Kylie's hair. But he must've been seeing it. Kylie's dead. The Preventers' reports had said so. "It must've been the stress," he found himself saying.

                But the remembrance was painful enough. The items that Kylie had left for him as his birthday gifts brought back that last smile she gave him. The smile that never cease to wrench his heart away. Clutching the blood stained rose and panflute (it was his blood), Quatre slumped on the bed and cried himself to sleep.

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                When Trowa Barton entered the office, Quatre looked up from his work. Instantly, a smile touched his lips. "Trowa, it's been long. How's Catherine?" he greeted, gesturing for his friend to take a seat. The Heavyarms pilot settled down across him.

                "She's fine," Trowa answered. "She sent her love." Then, his eyes strayed on his friend's desk and on his tired face. "How are you doing?" he inquired, watching him like a mother cat watching her kittens.

                "I'm alright," Quatre lied. Then he quickly added, seeing his friend's skeptical expression. "I was just tired. But I'll be leaving soon, I promise."

                Trowa nodded, determined to make sure that happen. But now that the pleasantries were over, it's time for business. "What did you find out while on Jupiter?" Quatre asked, pushing away the papers. This business required his whole attention.

                For a moment, Trowa Barton was silent. Quatre feared that something was wrong but waited in patience. After a minute passed by, Trowa shook his head. "Nothing suspicious. Everything looks clean. In fact if you want my opinion, Winteridge has done a great job on Project Jupiter."

                Quatre sank into his seat, relieved. Ever since Kylie had told him that Winteridge needed to be watched, he had been worried that there might be more than what Winteridge was planning to do with the project. And hearing that it was proved wrong by the person he trusted the most was a relief.

                As for Kylie's suspicion? Well, she had been proved wrong once.

                Now that the Winteridge's business was over, Quatre felt as if a heavy burden had been lifted from his shoulders. He gave Trowa an appreciative smile. "Thanks Trowa. I owe you one," he thanked.

                Trowa regarded him, carefully. "You don't owe me anything, Quatre. We've known each other too long to owe anything. Besides, it's good that you're following your instincts. If not, any one of us pilots would be on this thing if we see a tiny sign of trouble."

                Before he could say a thing, the door burst open. Duo Maxwell entered, a sunny wide smile plastered on his face. "Hey, looks like we're having a little reunion it seems," said the jovial Deathscythe pilot. He slumped onto the sofa, wiping the sweat on his forehead. He whistled. "Can you guys believe the weather? And I thought that since we're using an artificial sunlight, they would tone down the heat a little."

                "Then you might as well ask for autumn now," Trowa replied. He shook his head, muttering. "What does he expects in the middle of summer? Snow?" Quatre stifled a laugh at that. Ever since Duo had come work with him, Trowa had being seeing a lot of Duo Maxwell. Wu Fei had never tolerate Duo's humors and Trowa was beginning to find out why.

                Correction, Duo _hadn't _come work with Quatre. He simply _'…run the Winner's errands whenever he had the chance…'_ as he put it. The truth was, Duo had purposely put his salvage business in link with Quatre's business, so that whenever Quatre needed the parts, he would come seek Duo. Though, the blond pilot would always avoid asking Duo where he got the parts.

                _But in reality_, Quatre knew that Duo Maxwell simply wanted to keep an eye on him.

                "Hey, that's a good idea!" said Duo, jumping onto his feet. "Maybe a little snow now and that would make the summer a little more fun."

                The look that Trowa gave Duo made Quatre burst into laughter. The Heavyarms pilot, still holding that he-can't-be-seriously-considering-that look, finally gave Duo a glare that would shrivel the summer flowers. "You're mocking me," he accused.

                Duo put out his hands in mock defense. "Hey, where's your humor my friend?" He brightened, looking at the window. "It's a beautiful day. We surely need some smiles in this room… uh… after all these workloads." His nose wrinkled at Quatre's paper-stacked desk.

                Trowa, realizing what Duo was trying to attempt, smiled at himself. Despite his annoying ways, Duo did manage to make Quatre laugh. And he was thankful for that, for it seemed that Duo was the only one who could make his surrogate brother smile. To see him smile and laugh, Trowa was willing to do anything. Even enduring Duo's ridicule.

                Then Quatre's smile died, remembering that he still had some work to finish. He regarded Duo. "Is there anything I can help you with?" he asked, straightening himself.

                "Back to business, I see," said Duo, making his way towards Quatre. He shook his head. "Nah, I just stop by to ask you to sign some papers. The shipment you requested has arrived this morning," he said, handing some papers. Then his eyes twinkled. "And of course, to invite you to dinner tomorrow night." He turned to Trowa. "And Hilde asked me to invite you too if I see you here."

                "We'll be there, Duo," Quatre answered for both of them. He signed the papers and then turned his attention back to his paperwork. "If you guys excuse me, I should get back to work," he said, then turned to Trowa. "Erea has prepared a room for you back home. I would leave now but…" He gestured helplessly at the stacks of papers.

                Trowa nodded. "Just don't be late," he reminded him. Then, he and Duo exited, leaving Quatre all alone.

@@

                Quatre finished his work a little later than he had anticipated. When he finally walked out of the office, everything was silent. His employees had all left for home. Stepping outside, Quatre noticed that the day had grown darker.

                "You didn't send for your chauffeur, sir?" a voice asked from behind him.

                He turned around to find the security guard regarding him. He shook his head.

                "No. I thought I would walk home this evening," he answered. Then looked at the darkening sky, dubiously. "I guess, it doesn't seemed like a good idea at the moment. My sister specifically told me not to be late for dinner."

                "In that case, sir, perhaps I should send for your chauffeur then." The security guard then made his way back to his post, where the phone was. "It'll only take a minute, young sir."

                Quatre stopped him. "No, that's alright, Gary," he declined. He looked out the streets, where several people was still walking about, heading for home. "I think I will walk home after all. It is a beautiful day, after all."

                Gary, the security guard looked at him. "I guess I see you tomorrow then, sir."

                He waved back at him, smiling. "I see you tomorrow too, Gary."

                Quatre walked in silence. He looked around him, at the people who were bustling and hustling to get home. Smiling in amusement, he mused that perhaps these people did try to finish their work on time like he did. Only to have miscalculated their timing.

                Chuckling to himself, he muttered. "Looks like I'm not the only one who'll be having a late dinner." He glanced at his watch. 8 o'clock. His sisters will definitely cornered him once he's back home. He shook his head, amusingly. 'Luckily, they couldn't ground me anymore.'

                Despite the time, Quatre found himself taking his sweet time walking back home. He hummed a nameless tune as his thoughts went back to his life. Yes, he's very happy. Mankind was finally having its peaceful days despite the Telrhani guerilla attacks; he had his family all around him, friends who cared for him, a girl who loved him with all her heart. What more would a guy ask for?

                Suddenly, his humming halted. From the corner of his eyes, he saw it again. The all-too familiar flash of red! Swiveling sharply, Quatre nearly collided with another pedestrian. Muttering his apology, he craned his neck to find the flash of red.

                There! Bobbing up and down as it walked among some pedestrians.

                Quickly, Quatre made his way towards it, determined to settle down the thumping of his heart and proved that he's only seeing things. But although it was late, there were still many people walking about on the road. Quatre found it even harder to catch up with the red haired woman (yes, he's established that once he saw the long hair). Still, he continued on. His heart continued its thumping.

                Then at a row of shops, he lost her. Frustrated, Quatre craned his head around, hoping that the woman had somehow entered one of the shops. Something in his heart told him what he had just saw. That the way the woman wore her hair was the same as the person he once knew. But now that she'd disappeared, he had no way of confirming his suspicion.

                Suddenly, he felt his breath caught in his throat. There, walking out of a shop on the other side of the road was the person he had thought dead. Whose death had once tortured his days and torment his dreams. The person who had sworn to protect him like old times.

                "Kylie?" he found himself choke. He tried to call out to her. To stop her from disappearing again but the large lump in his throat was preventing him from speaking. He tried to move but found his legs had been made out of lead.

                "Kylie!" his voice finally managed to croak. His eyes never left the young woman who was walking away. "Kylie!" he called out but she never heard him. Then, he could once again move. Quickly, Quatre ran towards the direction he had last saw her.

                But to his disappointment, she was gone.

                However, he did notice that the girl had looked at him when he called her name. He caught her look of surprise when she heard the name. And he knew that she had recognized it before running away.

                "It can't be," he whispered to himself. "It's not possible."

                But it was true. Kylie, the love of his life, was still alive. He had been dreaming about it, wishing for it but when he finally gotten over his temporary insanity, he'd accepted the fact. Kylie Rayden was gone. And now, when his life was finally in order, she came back.

                And from that day on, Quatre knew his life would never be the same again.

TO BE CONTINUED… 

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:** Hah, you think I would let Trowa die that easily? Geez, I received so many feedbacks from you guys asking me why I killed Trowa so early in the story. What happened in the prologue will be explained in the later story. It will be a little twisted and confusing, but once you find out the real thing, you won't be confused and twisted, heh!! J 


	3. Faces

DISCLAIMER: Gundam Wing belonged to Sunrise and co. I'm not making any profits out of this, so don't sue. Oh, those you think you've never heard before belong to me. And feedback is very welcome, people!?  
  
TIMELINE: The story takes place after Survival of the Fittest, I'd say almost two years.  
  
SHATTERED MIRRORS II: FACES.  
  
By Arayelle Lynn.  
  
Trowa watched Elena Winner glanced at the clock for the thousandth times. At the corner of the room, Erea Winner was pacing back and forth. Occasionally, she would copy Elena's movement. It was normal for their little brother to be late for dinner. He had done that on many occasions, since the boy tended to be too engrossed in his work.  
  
But that night, something had caused them to worry.  
  
Maybe because they had called the office and was informed that Quatre Winner had left about two hours ago. But now, it's already 1 o'clock! And there's still no sign of him. That caused them to worry, especially after what he had gone through.  
  
Personally, Trowa didn't think that they should be panicking. He trusted Quatre enough to be able to take care of himself. His blond friend had proved that to him time and time again and on some occasions, surprised him even. And so, he waited, patiently.  
  
"Maybe we should go search for him," Irin suggested.  
  
"Let's not be too hasty," Trowa started to say. Suddenly, they heard the front door opened and Quatre entered, looking slightly dazed. His face was pale and his body seemed to be shaking. Relieved and concerned, the three ladies rushed to their brother.  
  
"Are you alright?"  
  
"What's wrong?"  
  
"Quatre?"  
  
They saw his lips moved to answer but nothing came out. It was as if he found that the words were stuck in his throat. There's a look of terrible wonder and lost in his blue-green eyes that scared them. His eyes had the same look once, when he was in verge of madness after his lover's demise. And now, they feared if the same madness had somehow resurfaced.  
  
Then, Quatre's eyes laid on Trowa. Not noticing the fearful looks of his sisters, he went to his friend. "Trowa! I saw her. She's alive!" he whispered, gripping Trowa's hands so tightly that the silent pilot felt pain.  
  
Seeing the familiar wild look in his friend's eyes, Trowa detached Quatre's fingers off him. He then ushered him to a seat. "What is it, Quatre? What did you see?" he prompted, calmly. "Who's she?" He felt his stomachs knotted, fearing his answer.  
  
"Kylie! She's still alive. I saw her on my way back," Quatre answered, agitatedly. "She was walking about in the city." The eyes that met Trowa's suddenly glistened with tears. "I can't believe it. Kylie's still alive!" Then he was grim. "But why didn't she tell me that she's okay?"  
  
From that, Quatre continued to ramble. Guessing and counting the reasons why Kylie kept that news from them. His thoughts went back to the first sensible reason he had established before. That maybe Kylie was involved in a mission. Maybe a mission that could jeopardize his life if he knew. And that's why she couldn't tell any of them why she was alive. After all, Kylie had promised that she would protect him, hadn't she?  
  
So deep in his troubling thoughts, Quatre failed to hear Trowa and his sisters trying unsuccessfully to gain his attention. Unsuccessfully trying to tell him that he was seeing things. In the end, Trowa was forced to slap him across his face, hard.  
  
"Don't you dare lose on us again!" Trowa hissed when Quatre finally quieted. He held his throbbing cheek, surprised to find himself there. And surprised to find Trowa hit him. Trowa's face was slightly red, reflecting his controlled anger as he looked down at him.  
  
"Kylie's dead, remember? We saw the whole thing ourselves. We saw her die," he said, his voice was barely above a whisper. Then, seeing the realization and pain in Quatre's eyes, his voice softened. "She and Heero are dead, remember? Lady Une reported that they found pieces of their Gundams in the wreckage."  
  
He brushed Quatre's head, gently. "You're tired, Quatre. You've been working so hard that you're starting to see things. Things that you wanted the most." Suddenly, Trowa's eyes misted. "Please, Quatre. I cannot lose you too. Please don't put us through that again, little brother."  
  
Seeing Trowa's pleading eyes finally brought Quatre to the hard truth. Yes, Kylie's gone. Heero's gone too. Now, there are only four original Gundam pilots. And somehow, the two items of Kylie's that Quatre held earlier, made him start seeing her again.  
  
Tears started to roll down his cheek. Quatre held Trowa, crying. "I'm sorry, Trowa. I'm so sorry," he said over and over again. For a few minutes, they stayed like that. But when he finally pulled himself away, he looked at his sisters, apologetically.  
  
"I'm okay now," he said, giving them a smile. "Must've been pretty tired."  
  
At that, he was swept into a group hug led by Erea. Then, Irin detached herself, looking slightly annoyed. "Quatre, I want you to promise us one thing," she said, as if reprimanding one of her dance students.  
  
He sighed and then smiled. "Yes. I'll call in sick tomorrow."  
  
"And for the next two weeks," Irin finished for him.  
  
@@@@@@@@@@@@@@  
  
THREE MONTHS LATER. (PRESENT DAY)  
  
A beep jolted Duo out of his reverie. He checked his position and found himself approaching L4 colony cluster. His thoughts finally returned to the issue at hand. Quatre's in danger. Somehow, Winteridge had forced him to join his rank and declare war on the Earth Sphere Nation. And Duo's determined to save his friend before it's too late.  
  
Suddenly, his shuttle shook. Duo was thrown over the controls and bumped his head, hard. His head spinning, he realized that the colony was firing on him. Fighting back rude words, Duo opened the channel. "Quatre! It's me, Duo. I'm coming for you," he shouted, hoping to stop the pouring bullets on him. As he waited for a response, a question crossed his mind.  
  
Where had Quatre found weapons to equip the colony with?  
  
A moment later, Quatre Winner appeared on the screen. His face was grim. "I thought it was you," he said as greeting.  
  
"Then, stop firing on me, okay?" Duo suggested, giving him a friendly grin. He saw Quatre gestured at someone and the firing stopped. Then, the Sandrock pilot turned his attention back to Duo.  
  
"You're not welcome here anymore, Duo," he said, nonchalantly. "Go away."  
  
Duo blinked. "But why? Hey, Quatre, if you're in trouble we can discuss it. You know I'll help you anyway I can," he persuaded, hoping that Quatre would catch the hint and gave him any sign that he was being held against his will.  
  
But there was none. His friend shook his head, after considering his words. "No, Duo. I don't think you would help me in this. And I don't think I want to share my victory with you." He then nodded at someone before turning back to Duo. "Leave this place, Duo. Before my men destroy you."  
  
The controls suddenly beeped. A screen on his left warned Duo of an incoming troops of MS. Immediately, Duo's natural warning alarms went off in his head. Something's not right here! "I'm not leaving until you tell me what the hell is going on, Quatre."  
  
'Come on, Quatre. Give me a sign!' his thoughts screamed.  
  
The expression on Quatre's face didn't change. "If that's your answer, well, good bye Duo." The screen went dead.  
  
"What?" was all Duo managed before he was under attack. He fought the mobile suits, all the while wondering why Quatre had done this to him. To everyone. And seeing how determined the mobile suits wanted to destroy him, Duo finally decided on one thing.  
  
Quatre was dead serious!  
  
But still, he had to get to the colony. Hilde's still on it. But every time he tried to get near it, he was blocked by the enemy. Since he's using a standard shuttle, Duo was unable to use his usual Deathscythe maneuvers. Soon, he was being overwhelmed by the numbers of the mobile suits, forcing him to cease his struggle to enter the colony and instead concentrate on surviving.  
  
Suddenly out of nowhere, a series of shots rained on the mobile suits, giving Duo the exit that he needed. Quickly, he navigated the shuttle away from the colony. "Are you alright?" a transmission broke through as he was finally in the safe distance.  
  
"What I am now is confused," he answered, looking at the face of his savior. "What's going on here, Rasid?"  
  
Rasid, leader of the Maganac corp. shook his head, grimly. "We don't know, really. But one thing I can tell you is that Master Quatre has turned against us," he answered. The sadness in his voice was evident. All the Maganacs revered young Winner. They all adored the young man ever since he saved them almost seven years ago. But now, the pain of Quatre's betrayal was evident in his eyes.  
  
"B.but why? How?" Duo sputtered.  
  
Rasid exhaled. "Let's discuss it once we join the others," he answered. "Your wife and my men are all on their way to the Preventer headquarters on MO V. Maybe we'll find our answers there."  
  
Duo looked back at L4, where his friend was. "But what about Quatre?"  
  
Rasid shook his head, sadly. "There's nothing we can do for Master Quatre." He shuddered as he said the next words.  
  
"He's our enemy now."  
  
TO BE CONTINUED. 


	4. Enemies

DISCLAIMER: Gundam Wing belonged to Sunrise and co. I'm not making any profits out of this, so don't sue. Oh, those you think you've never heard before belong to me. And feedback is very welcome, people!?  
  
TIMELINE: The story takes place after Survival of the Fittest, I'd say almost two years.  
  
SHATTERED MIRRORS III: ENEMIES.  
  
By Arayelle Lynn.  
  
The silence in the room was so thick that it could be sliced with a knife. As soon as Duo and Rasid arrived at the Preventer headquarters, they were greeted by the grim faces of their friends. Each relayed what they've learned so far but none seemed to be able to answer the numero uno question.  
  
Why Quatre had turned against them?  
  
At first, Relena, Trowa and the others were inclined to accept Duo's earlier hypothesis. That someone was puppeting Quatre into committing treachery against the ESUN. But the presence of the Winner daughters, safe and sound, and their statement as well as the Maganac's forced them to rethink the hypothesis.  
  
"We don't know what really happened. Quatre just threw us into the street," Erea Winner had said earlier, her face lined with worry as well as hurt. "He didn't say anything hurtful. He just ordered his bodyguards to 'escort' us off the colony."  
  
"And he fired all of us without any reason," the still-shocked Abdul said. He too, felt a little betrayed.  
  
"And Quatre wasn't acting strange before that?" Wu Fei had asked, watching them carefully. He turned to Trowa. "Are you sure that Quatre never give out any indication that he might do this?" His words were directed to all closest to the Winner's heir.  
  
Trowa shook his head. "I never saw or contact Quatre after I left the colony," he had answered, thinking of the secret, personal mission he had been in. "And I doubt it has anything to do with him seeing Kylie that day." He looked at Duo for confirmation.  
  
"He's right," Irin Winner interjected. "Quatre was himself after that. In fact, he almost returned to his usual self. No, this wasn't about her. Something's terribly wrong here."  
  
Lady Une frowned, deep in thought. Then, she called up one of her agents and told him to escort the Winners to their temporary quarters. She waited until they were all gone before addressing the remaining people. "From the statements I've heard, it seems that there was nothing that could cause Quatre's defection. It seems more logical to say that he's doing everything willingly." She sighed. "I don't want to say this in front of the other Winners but it seems that Quatre has just become an enemy."  
  
Silence ruled the room. And that had been a while ago. Now, the silence was almost deafening.  
  
"It seems that way," Zechs agreed, finally shattering the long silence. "That means, we will have to consider him an enemy from now on." He closed his eyes. "Which is bad. He is, after all, a Gundam soldier."  
  
"Now, just wait a minute," Duo cut in, breaking away from Hilde's reassuring hold. "Let's not be too hasty. There's still this question of why Quatre defected in the first place. I say we give some time to find out what before starting to blow one of our own to space dust."  
  
Zechs turned to Trowa and Wu Fei. "Is this a normal reaction of a Gundam pilot?" he prompted. "Do you people always hastily destroyed those who you think would endanger the peace but when it comes to one of your own, you hesitate?" he challenged.  
  
Wu Fei didn't take a second to answer that. "No." Duo looked up to protest. "Our job is to protect the peace. That's an oath we Gundam pilots took at the end of the Eve War. If one of us breaks it, it becomes our utmost responsible to stop him." He then remembered the time when Heero was determined to destroy him for supporting the Mariemaia's Army.  
  
He then looked at Duo. "And I mean what I said. Quatre Winner has become an enemy," he said. "You know I will kill him. And if Heero was here, he would've said the same thing too."  
  
"But."  
  
Trowa interrupted Duo. "You're right," he said with a hint of reluctance. "We have no choice but to consider Quatre as an enemy."  
  
Duo looked at him, then Wu Fei and finally Zechs. "You can't be serious!" he began but then he relented, after some serious thoughts. "You guys are right. Guess we have no choice in this matter."  
  
"What?" they heard both Relena and Noin said, shocked. "But why? Quatre's your friend, remember? Your leader," Relena reminded them. She was still hoping to come out with a reason as well as a solution.  
  
Duo shook his head. "Not anymore. Not when he broke his oath to protect the peace."  
  
"But if we could just contact him and persuade him," Relena tried again.  
  
"It won't help, Miss Relena," said Rasid, after being silent for some time. "He has tried to destroy Duo once." He paused, thinking over what he had to say. "In my book, those who betrayed a friend should be considered an enemy. And Master Winner has crossed that line when he trained his weapons at Duo."  
  
The leader of the Maganac then turned to the rest of the Gundam pilots. "Though we pledged our lives for Master Quatre, he freed us from it by firing us. And since there are only three original Gundam pilots left, we the Maganacs would be honored to fight by your side in this conflict." He looked at his men, who nodded. "We're determined to sacrifice our lives for the peace that Master Quatre had once fought for."  
  
Wu Fei nodded, seemingly acting as a leader of the Gundams. "We accept."  
  
Lady Une leaned back, considering the situation. "What you're offering is noble, Maganacs but there is still one thing we can do while we wait for Winteridge and Quatre to launch their attack on the Earth Sphere."  
  
"Hmm. what's that?"  
  
"Find out why all these are happening."  
  
@@@@@@@@@@@@@@  
  
They waited for what seemed like forever. When they finally heard the sound of footsteps, Dorothy felt the muscles in Trowa's arm tense. He pushed her even further into the darkness as they held their breaths, thinking even breathing could give away their location.  
  
The footsteps lingered around, searching for their preys. Then, after a few heart-stopping seconds, the footsteps faded, indicating that their hunters were leaving. Dorothy then felt Trowa squeezed her arm, and somehow she understood that he was telling her not to make a single move. After waiting for quite some time, she felt his muscle relaxed as he released her.  
  
She breathed a sigh of relief and slid down onto the floor. All the while, the painful throbbing in her right ankle grew even more unbearable. Involuntarily, a moan escaped her lips and her savior knelt before her, cradling the ankle with a gentleness that Dorothy never thought possible coming from him.  
  
"Don't move," he said, his voice soft. She watched him examined the now-swollen ankle, delicately. "It's not broken, just sprained," he diagnosed. Then, he ripped the sleeve of his shirt. Green eyes met blue ones. "This will hurt a bit."  
  
She gritted her teeth as Trowa started to bind the swell. But to her surprise, he was delicate enough that Dorothy hardly felt any pain. Time seemed to stop and silence ruled over them as Trowa worked on her ankle while she watched.  
  
"Did you know that that was Heero?" she asked, quietly. The tranquility of the environment were smothered by the grim fact.  
  
Instead of answering, Trowa kept his silence. She took it as a yes.  
  
"What's he doing trying to kill Miss Relena? I thought he protects her."  
  
Still no answer.  
  
But something told Dorothy that even the Gundam pilot hadn't all the answers.  
  
He continued binding her ankle.  
  
"That was mighty brave of you." This time, it was Trowa who broke the silence. "Drawing Heero to you like that. You could've gone for help but you did not," he said. There's a hint of admire in his voice. "He could've killed you, you must've realized that."  
  
She shuddered, the frightening experience finally dawned on her. Yes, she could've been killed. Heero's the most skillful assassin around. "It seems like a good idea at the time," she replied, defending her actions. "I can't let them kill the Vice Foreign Minister, can I?"  
  
"Right," Trowa agreed, a ghost of a smile played across his lips.  
  
Then he stood up. He checked the surrounding first before extending his hand to her, helping her up. Dorothy dusted herself as they stepped back into the alley. "We're safe now," Trowa declared, his eyes watching every shadows in every corner.  
  
He turned to her. "You should be able to make it back on your own safely," he stated, starting to move away.  
  
"Wait!" Dorothy grabbed his arm. She almost felt Trowa flinched, or so she thought. "Where are you going? What's happening to Quatre?" she asked, pleadingly. She didn't want to be left alone especially after what just happened.  
  
But her questions put the grim mask back on the Gundam pilot's face. He felt him tensed and his jaw twitched. He looked at her with his steel, hard eyes, which had seen many battles. "That's what I'm trying to find out," he said, his voice was suddenly gruff.  
  
Then, he broke away from her grasp. A few seconds later, Dorothy was all alone.  
  
TO BE CONTINUED. 


	5. Undead

DISCLAIMER: Gundam Wing belonged to Sunrise and co. I'm not making any profits out of this, so don't sue. Oh, those you think you've never heard before belong to me. And feedback is very welcome, people!?  
  
TIMELINE: The story takes place after Survival of the Fittest, I'd say almost two years.  
  
NOTE: I can't just let Kylie and Heero 'Rest in Peace' can I? *evil laugh* Uh oh! Heero and Kylie are looking daggers at me. Don't do it guys! I promise you'll stay dead next time. Don't.!  
  
SHATTERED MIRRORS IV: UNDEAD.  
  
By Arayelle Lynn.  
  
"Relena!"  
  
Her head swam as consciousness began to jolt into her. Did someone called her name? But hearing nothing else, she assumed that she was dreaming. And so, she began to surrender into the swirling darkness again.  
  
"Relena!"  
  
There. Someone was calling her. She's sure of it now. But when she tried to raise her head, she found it weighed a few anvils. She sank back to the floor, a low moan escaped her parched lips.  
  
"Relena!"  
  
That voice called again, this time nearer. Then, there was gasp as she felt someone reached for her. That someone pulled her close into a warm chest. "Relena!" that voice said, fear and concern was evident in his voice. Yes, in her jumbling thoughts, she managed to ascertain the gender of the voice.  
  
"Relena!" that voice insisted. Finally, she was able to determine whose voice it was. She opened her eyes slowly, minding the stampede in her head. "Milliardo?" she croaked, finding it hard to speak.  
  
She felt the sensation of being lifted. "That's it, Relena. Keep talking."  
  
"Milliardo. What happened?" She felt as if they're moving.  
  
"You're going to be alright," her brother said as an answer.  
  
Then, there was a new voice. "Zechs! Relena!"  
  
"Noin," she heard him said.  
  
"Help's on the way," said Noin. As she heard that, Relena felt the burst of clear cold air.  
  
She opened her eyes. "Thank goodness," Noin prayed. "Are you alright?"  
  
"Yes," Relena replied, fighting back the headache.  
  
The explosion finally dawned on her. She rose, quickly on her feet. But somehow she found that her legs were made of rubbers and she fell back into her brothers arms. "Easy," Zechs advised, placing her onto the cool grass.  
  
"No," she refused, wriggling out of his embrace. Her eyes stared at what used to be her summer house. She then looked at Zechs, her eyes had a haunted look. "Dorothy! She was with me," she told them.  
  
"What!" Noin fell onto the grass, weak.  
  
Zechs looked at them, first Relena, Noin and finally at the house. He rose to his feet. "I'll go find her," he volunteered, giving Noin a silent order to stay by his sister. His wife nodded in understanding.  
  
"Don't bother," said a new voice. "I'm alright." They turned to see Dorothy, limping towards them. She was pale and covered with dusts and grime. Her right ankle was bandaged. In her exhaustion, she tripped over a rock but Zechs was lightning fast and caught her before she hit the ground.  
  
When he looked at her, he found her unconscious.  
  
@@@@@@@@@@  
  
"So, we've all agreed that they're after Relena now," Trowa concluded.  
  
"In a nutshell," said Duo and sighed. "And what a small nutshell that is. We still haven't learned exactly what their plans are, when they're attacking and what are they waiting for? Why not just attack us now?" he wondered.  
  
Trowa shook his head. "Winteridge is planning something, alright. And now that Heero, Quatre and Kylie are on his side, he might have all the advantage."  
  
Duo shrugged. "Yeah. So, I've been asking this around. Who do you think will join Winteridge next? I mean, maybe this guy offered the others a great amount of salary and retirement plan or something." He feigned considerations. "Maybe that's why they were so eager to join Winteridge. Being a Gundam pilot doesn't exactly entitle us with the proper retirement plan, well, except for death."  
  
"I told you no one's going to join Winteridge," Wu Fei shouted. His voice held a note of finality to it. His eyes narrowed as he regarded Duo. "If any one of us decides to join the other party, I will kill him myself."  
  
"Ohh. touchy," said Duo. "Hey, Wu Fei. Who do you think will kill you if you decide to join Winteridge?"  
  
Wu Fei didn't smile at Duo's taunt. Instead, his eyes were cold. "I will not betray my friends," he declared.  
  
Sighing, Trowa took a sip from his drink. "Let's stop bickering with each other," he said, turning to Duo. "Back to the subject. Now that Heero, Quatre and Kylie have joined Winteridge, he has all the advantage. We have to come up with our own strategy."  
  
"Not really," a new voice said. The three Gundam pilots, Noin and Zechs turned to the entrance. They saw Relena, Lady Une, Sally and a girl staring at them, grimly. 'The new girl looks vaguely familiar,' Duo thought.  
  
"Relena?" Zechs prompted, concernedly.  
  
"Amy saw Heero and Kylie," said Relena, gesturing at the girl beside her. Zechs and the others rose to their feet when they heard that. But Relena had more shocking news. "And she said Heero is not an enemy."  
  
TO BE CONTINUED.  
  
Author's Note: Confused? Kind of, right? Is Heero an enemy or a friend? And why did he work with Kylie and then fought her later?  
  
Foreword: This is about Heero being alive. (Talks to Heero) Look, Heero. Wu Fei discovered that you're still alive in the last series, right? So technically, you're not dead. So, you have no reason to be cranky.  
  
(Heero looks daggers at me) Hey, you said you want to protect your lady until the fans decided they have enough of Gundam Wing! (pointing at Kylie) At least your fate is much better than hers.  
  
(Kylie crosses her arms) *Gulp!* Not that I mean you have the worse fate.* Gulp!* Yours is just. indefinite. Help! (runs away while Kylie chases. Heero looks on with that irritating look of amusement on his face) Help.!  
  
Yup, this shows how confused I am ^_~ 


	6. Confusion

DISCLAIMER: Gundam Wing belonged to Sunrise and co. I'm not making any profits out of this, so don't sue. Oh, those you think you've never heard before belong to me. And feedback is very welcome, people!?  
  
TIMELINE: The story takes place after Survival of the Fittest, I'd say almost two years.  
  
SHATTERED MIRRORS V: CONFUSION.  
  
By Arayelle Lynn.  
  
"So you're telling us that Heero saved your life and fought Kylie," Duo repeated in disbelief. Part of him wanted to believe it but the other part warned him that there might be something fishy behind all that. He watched the girl, Amy, carefully. Though she occasionally squirmed uncomfortably under their scrutinize gazes, she seemed calm and well- composed. 'This is definitely a girl who has seen and experience everything life has to offer,' he decided.  
  
Amy nodded. "It's true. He saved me from Kylie, only he said that she's not the real Kylie." Her face masked confusion. "Then, he gave me this address and told me I could find Miss Relena here." This time, it was she who looked at them for answers. "What's going on here?"  
  
"That's what we would like to find out," said Lady Une, watching the girl intently. "Tell me. What did Heero say to you about Kylie, exactly?" There was a hint of something in her voice, so everybody turned their gazes on her.  
  
Amy frowned, recalling. "Well, I believe it was 'That's not Kylie, at least she's not our Kylie'," she repeated.  
  
"And before that? What did he say to her?" Une prompted.  
  
"Uh. it was 'You may have her face but you're not her' or something like that," Amy quoted.  
  
For a moment Lady Une was silent. Then, she looked at everyone in the room with her. They all wore the same expression as hers. "I believe that we've all reached the same conclusion," she said, finally. "It seems that our enemy has someone posing as our Gundam friends. And there are at least two Heeros walking around the street."  
  
Everybody nodded but it was Zechs who spoke. "That's the more reasonable conclusion. We know that the Gundam pilots would never betray what they've fought for. And so, Winteridge has people disguising as the dead Gundam pilots without knowing that one of them is still alive."  
  
"And we know Heero would not let them get away with this," Wu Fei put in.  
  
Trowa nodded. "So, now we know they have someone posing as Heero and Kylie."  
  
"That would mean they have someone posing as Quatre too!" Duo interrupted, a little excited. "I know Quatre would never betray us."  
  
"No!" Dorothy gasped, as fear started to overwhelm her. "That would mean. Quatre's in danger!"  
  
The revelation stunned everyone. Since Heero and Kylie were dead or supposedly in Heero's case, Winteridge had no need to put away the real ones. But Quatre, he would have to take him down in order to replace him with his own actor.  
  
"Let's not panic," said Lady Une, calming the distressed Dorothy. "We will form a rescue plan once we have enough information on our enemy. But first, we have to find out where they're keeping Quatre Winner."  
  
"Provided if they haven't kill him, that is," Duo whispered to himself but those words echoed in everyone's thoughts. Once Winteridge had his actor in place to play as Quatre, he would no longer need the real Winner's heir. So, what reason did he have to spare his life?  
  
@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@  
  
Amy yawned and stretched. "I'm beat. I think I better turn in," she said, making her way over to their sleeping bags.  
  
"Good idea," said Dorothy, stifling a yawn. "It's been a tiring day."  
  
"I second that," Hilde supported. She turned to Relena, who was watching the shadows. "Relena? What is it?"  
  
The young minister was startled and turned to regard her. "Huh?" She shook her head. "Nothing. I just thought I heard something."  
  
Hilde frowned. Duo had reminded her before he left that she should be suspicious at any strange sound no matter what. And it could be that the enemy knew where they are. Rising to her feet slowly, she walked over to where Relena was looking, cautiously.  
  
"Where are you going?" Amy asked, feeling the chills.  
  
"I'm going to check on that sound Relena thought she heard. It could be anything."  
  
Dorothy came over to her. "I'll come with you."  
  
Before Hilde could refuse her offer, the lights went out.  
  
TO BE CONTINUED. 


	7. The Untold

**DISCLAIMER:** Gundam Wing belonged to Sunrise and co. I'm not making any profits out of this, so don't sue. Oh, those you think you've never heard before belong to me. And feedback is very welcome, people!☺

**TIMELINE:** The story takes place after Survival of the Fittest, I'd say almost two years.

SHATTERED MIRRORS VI: THE UNTOLD. 

By Arayelle Lynn.

                Silence was deafening. The minute that they were plunged into darkness, they each stifled a scream. The only sound that could be heard was the gasp that escaped Amy's lips. And the thumping in their hearts as four pair of eyes searched the darkness.

                Relena felt a cold hand brushed against hers. She could feel the hand trembling. "Amy?" she grabbed the hand, squeezing it reassuringly. The hand squeezed back, returning her assurance gratefully.

                "Calm down, everybody," Relena heard Hilde whispered. "Let your eyes adjust to the dark first."

                A few second later, the darkness seemed thinner. Relena could finally make out the three forms, which she identified as, her friends. "Everybody okay?" she inquired.

                "Yeah," came the reply from the others.

                "What happen to the lights?"

                There was no answer. Each of them knew the answer already.

                "They found us," Dorothy said, her eyes searching among the shadows. A broken metal pipe was in her hands for defense.

                "What should we do?" Amy asked, her voice quivering.

                Relena squeezed her hand again. "Since we can't see them, they aren't likely to be able to see us. And as long as they can't see us, we'll be safe."

                Hilde nudged her friends. The gun Duo provided her was cocked and ready. "There's a small shuttle Duo left for us in case of emergency. If we could move quietly to the holding bay, we could reach it before they find us," she suggested. Her voice was surprisingly calm.

                "Good idea," Dorothy responded, weighing the pipe in her hands. 

                Before any of them could move, they heard a scuffling sound. Startled, their eyes searched the darkness again. The sound was nearby, which means… the assassins were already there.

                Hilde trained her gun, scanning for her unseen enemy. Dorothy raised the pipe; ready to take a swing if the need come. Amy's hand was clutching Relena's so hard that it was starting to hurt. But neither of them as much as whimper in fright. They all intended to face the assassins bravely.

                The sound came again. This time, Dorothy whipped her head to her left. "There!" she cried, seeing a figure in the shadows.

                Hilde fired but the figure was gone. Suddenly, Dorothy heard a thumping sound next to her and felt a warm breath touching her cheek. She started to jump back when suddenly the whole place was flooded with light.

                A pair of green eyes stared astonishedly at her. "Huh? Dorothy!"

                Dorothy stared at the twin black holes staring back at her. She blinked. "Trowa?"

                As his arms lowered, Trowa sensed rather than saw a presence behind him. He swung his gun around only to feel something hit him from behind. His gun flew off his grasp, as he fell onto his knees. Whoever hit him rolled back to his feet and pointed a gun at the fallen Gundam pilot. "Heero!" Relena Darlian rushed forward only to be held back by Hilde.

                "Stay back!" Heero snapped. At the same they heard someone yelled, "Stop where you are!"

                Two figures leapt in. As fast as lightning guns were whipped out and trained.

                "Duo!" Hilde exclaimed, glad to be seeing him again. She fought the urge to run to him.

                Duo spared a quick glance at them. "Are you girls alright?" he asked, his gun pointed unwaveringly at Trowa. Wu Fei also had his trained evenly at the kneeling pilot but his eyes were eyeing Heero, suspiciously.

                "Is that you, Heero?" Duo asked, dubiously. He wanted to make sure although the answer was clear.

                Heero's eyes never left the impostor. "Don't ask stupid questions," he returned, gruffly. Duo let out a deep sigh. 'Yep, this is the real Heero Yuy alright,' he decided, knowing exactly how Heero would've responded to his question. He returned his gaze on the impostor.

                Trowa's eyes were on his gun, which lay under Wu Fei's feet. "Get up slowly," Wu Fei ordered, his eyes watching Trowa's every move. The impostor slowly rose to his feet, his arms raised, showing his empty hands.

                Once he was on his feet, he regarded both Duo and Wu Fei. He never spared a glance at the girls or at Heero who was training his gun behind him. "It's a trap, guys. I'm the real Trowa," he said, his voice was surprisingly as calm as the real Trowa Barton's.

                "Shut up," Duo said, moving away from Wu Fei to form a circle around their capture. "We're the ones doing all the talking around here. You're only here to answer some questions." His eyes narrowed. "That's what you get when you posed as one of us."

                Trowa lowered his arms. "Oh, yeah? How can you be sure that he's the real Heero Yuy?" he prompted, sparing a glance behind. Then he looked at the girls, particularly at Dorothy. "In fact, how can we all be sure that you're really Duo Maxwell and Chang Wu Fei? For all we know one of you could be the impostors."

                "Hey, there's only one me," said Duo, woundedly.

                Wu Fei's eyes narrowed. "Don't try to turn us against each other," he warned, fingering the trigger. He didn't mind at all at the thought of shooting the impostor. Especially if he tries anything suspicious.

                "Tell us. How did your boss get people to pose as us so convincingly?" Heero demanded, watching the impostor carefully. "How did you fool all the biological scans done on you to pass as us Gundam pilots?"

                The impostor whipped his head at him. His face unreadable but his eyes struck Heero deep. "You're the impostor, you ought to know," he snapped. "Where's that partner of yours?"

                At that, Heero was distinctively startled. However, since everyone was busy watching the impostor, they didn't notice that brief look of doubt on the Wing Zero's pilot's face. He began to stare at the impostor, uncertain.

                "He's not being very helpful," said Duo, taking his aim. "Maybe we should kill him now and rid us one annoying spy," he added, in an attempt to trick the impostor to talk. Wu Fei nodded and fingered the trigger as well.

                "Stop!" said a new voice, female. Heads whipped to the shadows near the entrance. A dark silhouette was standing, watching them. Her face was so well hidden in the darkness that they couldn't make out the features. "He's not the enemy."

                The others turned to their captive. But Trowa's eyes were solely on the mysterious figure. There was something strangely familiar about the newcomer. "Who are you?" he whispered. A possibility entered his mind.

                "Lower your weapons," she advised the three. "That _is_ the real Trowa Barton. The enemy has set a trap to lure you Gundam pilots here. They plan to make you distrust one another so you would end up destroying each other." She shook her head, long dark hair brushing against her shoulder. "This is all a well planned trap and you all fell for it."

                Heero lowered his weapon, so did Wu Fei. Each was staring at the newcomer. They knew that voice. They recognized the figure very well. But they couldn't believe that she was really there. Hadn't she died almost two years ago?

                Amy whimpered as a thought came to her. She, involuntary, stepped forward. Hope flickered inside her empty heart. "Kylie?" she whispered, voicing everyone's thoughts. All eyes were on the newcomer, except for Duo's.

                "Put your gun down, Maxwell," the figure repeated. "Before you hurt someone."

                Duo spared a glance at Trowa and noticed the baffled look in his eyes. Instantly, he knew that this was the real Trowa Barton. However, instead of lowering his gun, he pointed it at the figure. "Okay, so maybe he's Trowa. But how can we be sure that you're not with the enemy?"

                The figure stepped into the light. Most of them held their breaths. "Mylin!" Relena gasped. Wu Fei went pale while Heero raised his left eyebrow, deeply impressed. Those who hadn't met the alien spy gaped. Some hope shattered as they stared at the alien features. This was not Kylie, as they hoped for.

                Mylin dropped her empty hands and stood only two feet before them. Though she looked weaponless and harmless, Wu Fei knew that she could still take them on. "I'm not your enemy because they don't have my sample of DNA to make a clone with," she answered, regarding Duo's question.

                If her shocking appearance delivered them a hard blow, what she said then was even worse. They all looked at her, shocked. "Clone?" they chorused. Heero, Wu Fei and Duo exchanged glances while the girls looked at each other.

                "Yes. In order to pass as you pilots in great detail, Winteridge made clones from your DNA so he would have _true_ Gundam pilots in his ranks," the alien explained. "Winteridge have somebody to steal your DNA sample four years ago. He hired someone to make the clones and then kill him when he had outlasted his usefulness."

                Then she turned to Trowa. "I guess, you know about this too, don't you?" she asked him, looking at him knowingly. "And that's why you're keeping the charade 'til this day?"

                Trowa nodded while the others turned their attention on him. "I found out about it over two months ago. But by then, it was already too late. I was discovered, lured into a trap and was almost killed."

                A gasp escaped Dorothy's lips. Mylin gestured for them to sit down. "We better make ourselves comfortable. The enemy isn't likely to find this place and I'm curious to know Trowa's story." Duo and the girls settled down while Wu Fei took guard at the entrance. Heero found the nearest window and stared outward but his ears were listening carefully.

                "It all started with Quatre," said Trowa, remained standing. He looked at Duo. "Remember when he claimed to have seen Kylie?"

                Duo nodded. "Yeah, I remember you telling me that there might be something to it. But you never tell me what it was."

                "That's true," Trowa admitted. "I thought there was something fishy when I saw Heero walking down the street. Very much alive _and _very much determined to stay away from me." He looked at Heero at that point.

                Heero stared back at Trowa. "But that wasn't me, right?"

                "I thought it was, at first," said Trowa as his answer. "And so, I was determined to investigate further. But I never saw you again until the day I told Quatre that I was leaving the colony." His face turned grim as his hand, involuntarily, caressing his left arm.

                Mylin leaned forward. So did everyone. "What happened?" she prompted.

                "I saw Heero entered an alley. But when I went to find him, he was gone. There were only two men in the alley and one of them was trying to kill the other," he told them. "I tried to save the man but I was jumped by someone. Before I passed out, I saw him killed that man."

                He regarded Heero. "It was you, Heero."

                The whole room gasped, except Heero, Trowa and Mylin. Heero and Trowa were locked in a tight gaze. It was Trowa who broke it first. He turned away. "Of course, after the incident I was more determined to find out what's going on. And so when I finally woke up, I left the scene and planned to stay low to investigate."

                Trowa shook his head. "While launching my own investigation, I found out that someone is posing as Heero. And that the person who killed that man in the alley wasn't the real Heero Yuy," he said, looking at his friend reassuringly.

                Relena breathed a silent prayer. Though she knew Heero would never kill an innocent man, it was hard to hear his own friend accusing him of the crime.

                Trowa winced, recalling the memory. "However, I found that out the hard way."

                "What do you mean?" Dorothy demanded.

                "I was betrayed by my own tipper. He sent me to Earth, to an abandoned warehouse where there's an illegal smuggling ring took place," Trowa explained. "I was convinced that Heero has something to do with this but when I get there, I fell into a trap."

                "What happened?" Dorothy prompted.

                Trowa shook his head, unwilling to share with them the experience. "Let's just say it took me out of the game for quite some time."

                "You mean you were involved in _that_ fire?" Wu Fei suddenly asked, recalling a recent unsolved case files.

                "What fire?" Amy asked, looking at both of them now.

                Duo frowned. "Hey, I read about that from the Preventers files. They never found out who was responsible for it. The local authority thought that there was a fault in the circuitry that caused the explo…"

                "That should be enough, Duo," Trowa interrupted, unwilling to let the others know more about the incident. He didn't want to relate to them how he had fared after the blast. So, he decided to continue the story. "Since the trap was rigged to put me away permanently, I decided to play dead." He looked at the others. "That's why I let the impostor take my place among the Preventers. I wanted to know the enemy's plan by watching from afar."

                "And by staying dead, no one would thought that you'd be watching all of us," Heero finished for him.

                Trowa turned to him. "I guess you were doing the same thing too," he said, referring to Heero's supposedly demise.

                "I have my reasons," said Heero, knowing from their faces that they were curious to know as to why he played on his supposed demise. He knew that they were all curious to know how he escaped from the explosion that devastated the Telrhani fleet two years ago. But aside Wu Fei, who knew the reason, Heero's not willing to share it with the others. Especially at this crucial time.

                Mylin nodded, understanding his reasons well. She then jumped to her feet, looking at the Gundam pilots. "We best return to the Preventer headquarters now. I think I have some information that would be of some interest to them."

                Wu Fei agreed. "You're right," he said. He looked at Heero and Trowa. "We all need to sit down and put our heads together in this."

                "Wait! What about the girls?" Duo asked, jerked his thumb at them.

                Trowa spared a glance at Dorothy. "Let's bring them along. They would be much safer if they're with us."

                "Why don't you just say that you'd feel much better if they're in your sight?" Duo muttered under his breath. But no one seemed to hear him as they all began to move. "Hey, Heero. Where do you think you're going?" Duo asked when he saw Heero leaving in the opposite side.

                Heero spared a glance at them. "I'll see you at headquarters. There's something I need to take care of first." Then, he was gone.

                Duo looked back at Wu Fei and Trowa. "You don't suppose that Heero…"

                Both shook their heads, firmly. But it was Relena who answered him. "That's the real Heero, alright. I can feel it in my heart."

                Duo shrugged. "Hey, when you're right, you're right. And who am I to argue with a politician?"

@@

                "How's the raid on Libra?"

                Heero stared at the screen. "Not what both you and I might expect it to be."

                She leaned forward. "Tell me about it."

                He shook his head. "No time, Sara. Suffice to say, we have the real team back together again."

                "Except for Winner, right?" Sara guessed, reading his expression well.

                "Making any progress on that?"

                Sara rubbed her tired eyes. "Not getting anywhere. Pretty soon, I'll have to think up another way to get the information we need."

                "Well, don't go overboard with it. Remember what your therapist said?"

                She quickly changed the subject. "What do you need now?" 

                Heero hesitated. Then, he stared at the face on the screen. "All the information on Project Jupiter."

                Sara was startled, her face drained. "Why that?" she asked, her voice sounded hoarse. "It's just a colonial project."

                "_And_ it's Winteridge's," Heero added. "He's behind all these new incidents. I just want to know everything about this guy."

                "_Especially_ that, huh?" Sara asked, pointedly. Heero nodded in confirmation. She sighed. "Alright. When do you need them?"

                A ghost of a mischievous smile played across his lips. "In an hour."

@@

                "So, they purposely lured you there to be killed by your own friends?" Zechs concluded. It was more a statement than a question.

                "Or having me destroy their arch enemy," said Trowa, providing a new insight. "I could've start shooting when I first saw Heero on Libra. And knowing us pilots, we would not let our opponent get the better of us so, we'd keep shooting at each other." He glanced at the girls. "And Relena and the others would be caught in the crossfire."

                Duo rubbed his chin, frowning. "Gee, I never thought of that before." He shuddered, thinking what might've happen to Hilde.

                "Like I said, your enemy has plans for you. Which is why they haven't attack the Earth Sphere yet," said Mylin, crossing her long legs comfortably on the couch. Her presence had stirred quite a commotion among the Preventer agents. Luckily, Wu Fei managed to convince them that she was with them.

                "I see. They're waiting for the Gundam pilots to destroy each other," Lady Une said. "And when the Gundam pilots are all gone, they would launch the attack on Earth." She frowned. "Looks like Winteridge is even deadlier than Dekim Barton. He prefers to wait for the Gundam pilots to destroy each other first before conquering Earth without the Gundams' interference."

                Mylin shrugged. "That's about all there is to it," she replied. "But if you ask my opinion, I think Winteridge has planned for this day for quite some time. Whatever he has now, it was all resulted from a plan he had carefully devised _and _revised."

                "Whatever he has now?" Relena echoed. "You mean the clones?"

                The alien shrugged again, nonchalantly. "The clones, the Winner's resource satellite, his army, everything." Then her face grew grim. "But I'm mainly concern about one thing. Project Jupiter."

                "Project Jupiter?" Duo repeated. "But it's only a colonial project, nothing more."

                "That's what he wants us to think," she said. She uncrossed her legs and leaned forward. "But I think there's something Winteridge wants from the project. Badly." She shook her head. "But I couldn't get anymore information because I couldn't blend in the crowd well enough." She gestured at her alien form.

                Suddenly, a folder landed on the coffee table before them, its contents spilled. They stared at the papers which were clearly visible inside the folder. "_This_ is Project Jupiter," said the voice that threw the folder. They turned, only to see the grim face of Heero Yuy.

                Zechs stared at him, scrutinizing the pilot closely. Then he nodded, confirming his identity. "Nice knowing that you're still alive," he said, his voice held something none of them could decipher. None except Heero, who shrugged.

                "Feeling's mutual," he replied.

                Mylin picked up the folder and skimmed through it. Then, she handed it to Lady Une, who read it with Duo looking over her shoulder. The Deathscythe pilot gave a low whistle. "That make sense," said Mylin, giving Heero a curt nod. She saw Trowa and Wu Fei sharing a portion of the folder's contents.

                "Not to me," said Duo, frowning. "I mean, I know what it's saying but I don't see the significance."

                Heero watched Trowa and Wu Fei but his words were directed to Duo. "Read Trowa's portion."

                Duo moved over to the other two. By then, realization had already hit Trowa and he handed the documents to the Altron pilot, who shared it with Duo. When both were finished, they looked up to Heero, their faces pale.

                "This is not good," said Wu Fei.

                "What is it?" Sally asked, taking the documents from Wu Fei. She read it with Lady Une and the others. But when they were finished, their faces betrayed their confusion. Heero then took out something from his pocket and threw them on the table. It was some pictures.

                "That's to make things clearer," he simply said.

                Zechs's eyes flashed in recognition. He looked at the Gundam pilots, horrified. "This can't be."

                "It is," Mylin answered. "The very reason why Winteridge wanted the project so much."

                Seeing that the others were still piecing things together, Mylin decided to drop the bombshell. "Winteridge was never interested in the project itself. He was just using the project to cover his real operation." She nodded at the picture in Relena's hand. "Take a closer look at that."

                "Hey, that looks like a mine," said Amy. "Are they digging something?"

                "Yes," Mylin answered. "More precisely, it's a mine on one of the asteroids near Jupiter. They are plenty more mines out there in the asteroid belt, according to Heero's reports." She glanced at the Wing Zero pilot at that. "But what we should be concern about is what they're digging."

                She gestured Heero to tell them the news but he shook his head, telling her to continue. Sensing she's on the right track, Mylin continued. "What they're digging is actually a very special alloy that, given the right design, could be turned into… a gundam."

                "A gundanium alloy mine? On the asteroids?" Noin gasped, astonishedly.

                "_More than one_ gundanium mines," Trowa reminded her.

                Sally looked at each boy. "But how?"

                "Nobody knows how the scientists came about with the gundanium alloy. We're all inclined to believe that they're man-made somehow," Trowa explained. "Even we pilots weren't informed of its origin."

                Duo snorted. "Now we know that it isn't man-made. Funny though, it wasn't us who found out about it first. Or else, we could've done something to make sure that nobody finds the mines."

                "But how did Winteridge found the mines? Or the alloy?" Dorothy queried.

                Wu Fei shrugged. "We won't know unless we talk to him. But we know that won't happen. It could be that Winteridge found it by accident or he could've known the scientists." At that he looked at his fellow gundam pilots. For a moment, they all shared a secret thought among themselves.

                "But why is Winteridge spending his money on these mines?" Amy prompted. "I mean, there aren't any wars right now. Even the aliens called it quits." Her lips trembled at the memory of her lost fiancée.

                "For the war Winteridge is initiating," Mylin answered, nonchalantly. "From these reports, we know that Winteridge was only using Project Jupiter as an excuse to build a colony for his miners. And also possibly as his main base of operations. The Jupiter project is just a cover up, so the ESUN would not detect Winteridge's main intentions."

                Relena frowned. "So, he wants the same thing Dekim Barton wanted. It is all in the name of power and control."

                "That's the reality of this world, Minister Darlian," said Mylin, shrugging. She had seen the effect, had been a victim of power and control. "You should see what power and control have done to _my_ people."

                "Well, I don't intend to let that happen," Relena declared. "Duke Winteridge must be stopped." She looked at Heero. He nodded at her.

                Mylin watched the exchange but directed her words to all of them. "All of these tell us two things."

                "What's that?" asked Noin, curious.

                The alien spy shrugged. "Well as it turned out, humans, your dead friend was right. Winteridge _was_ up to something when he was fighting Winner over the Jupiter project two years ago," she said. "And I bet it was Winteridge who sent the assassins after Quatre Winner."

                "If that is so, then Kylie _was_ right on the track!" Duo interjected.

                Mylin nodded. "Yes, she did the right thing by watching Winteridge. But if it hadn't been for us, Telrhanis, she would've found out Winteridge's intentions sooner." There's a hint of regret in her voice. Then, she waved it off, nonchalantly. "But that's all in the past now."

                "But what about Quatre? What did they do to him? Is he still alive?" Duo asked, prompting a hopeful look from Dorothy.

                Heero shook his head in resignation. "That's remained to be solved. It could be that Winteridge is still holding him prisoner. If he had kill Quatre, we would've found his remains by now." He paused, considering his next words. "No, I seriously think that Quatre is still alive."

                That resulted a sigh of relief from everyone.

                "Don't be too comfortable yet," Trowa reminded them. "Once Winteridge discovered that his plan to destroy us has failed, he would use other means. And the longer Quatre is in their hands, the slimmer the chance for us to see him alive again."

                Dorothy gasped. "No, they wouldn't."

                "They would," said Heero, simply.

                Duo nodded at his gundam counterparts. "So, what are we going to do about it?"

                "Nothing," said Heero, calmly. Trowa, Wu Fei, Duo and the others turned to him, surprised. But before anyone could ask anything, he continued, "Don't worry about finding Quatre. I have that already covered."

                They waited for him to say more, but Heero didn't volunteer anything else. Instead, he gave his fellow Gundam pilots a look that indicated they need to talk. Then, he began to move towards the exit.

                "One thing, Heero Yuy," Mylin said, stopping him at the doorway. She looked at him, curiously. "I was wondering. Where did you get all these information? And the photos? I didn't see you sharing them with us while we were on the Libra remnant. So, you must've gotten them on the way here."

                Heero stared at the alien spy for a moment, feeling the curious stares from the others too. Then he lowered his head. "I have my sources," he simply answered, folding his arms. They waited for him to continue but soon realized that the matter was closed.

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                He kept running in the dark. Occasionally, he would glance behind him but found nothing. But that fact alone still failed to offer him comfort. He knew it was there. He knew that the shadow was still chasing after him.

                He panted, his chest burning and legs felt like melting rubber. Still, he continued on. He had to get away from this place. He had to find help. But why suddenly the air felt thicker the more he ran? Why he felt as if he wasn't getting anywhere?

                "You can run anywhere, dear Quatre but you can never hide," said a voice, echoing throughout the darkness. His eyes searched around him wildly, trying to make out where the voice came from but failed miserably. The darkness was too thick.

                And so, he quickened his pace. Not knowing where he's heading and wondering if he's moving in circles. But he knew that he can't stop. He knew that he must go on if he were to survive the darkness.

                Suddenly his legs buckled and he fell in a heap. Suppressing pain and the temptation of giving his tired body a little break, he struggled back onto his feet. But it was already too late. The shadow was already upon him.

                It was faceless but Quatre knew that it was a she. Her long blood red hair fell onto her shoulder like silk. She was wearing a black suit with a black long overcoat. Her hands were holding a gun each. She looked very imposing and yet, very familiar.

                "It's the end of the line, Quatre Raberba Winner," said this faceless shadow, though he couldn't see how it was possible without a mouth. She trained both guns at him. "Say farewell to life, lover."

                He closed his eyes, waiting for the end when suddenly something fell between him and the shadow. Something in white.

                "You're not harming him as long as I'm here," said that something in a voice that was surprisingly familiar and similar to the shadow's.

                Then before his eyes, he saw that something pulled up a shining sword and brandishing it, menacingly. "Be gone!" that something said, cleaving the shadow into two. The shadow then vanished without a sound.

                Heart thumping, Quatre saw his savior turned around. He gasped when his eyes met a pair of familiar winter blue eyes. "Kylie!"

                "No, don't move," said Kylie, kneeling before him as he tried to get onto his feet. She was wearing the similar attire to that of the shadow, except in white. She smiled at him and placed the gleaming sword on the ground. "Rest, Quatre. You've fought so hard," she said, cradling his head onto her lap.

                "But the shadow…" he protested.

                She shook her head. "It won't harm you anymore. Don't worry, I'll be here to protect you." She kissed his forehead. "For now, just sleep. The nightmare will be over soon."

                "Will you stay with me? Will you be there when I wake up?"

                Kylie smiled, her face was one like an angel. "I'll be here always. I will protect you," she promised. Feeling relaxed, Quatre instantly felt his eyelids getting heavier. Before he lost consciousness, he heard her say, "Just like old times."

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                The plan was set. While Lady Une and the others were discussing the new information that Heero had gotten for them, the Gundam pilots had reconvened and discussed their own plan of action. And they all agreed on one thing.

                When they finally dispersed, the boys discovered that Relena, Dorothy and Hilde were waiting for them outside the room. Giving the other boys a look, Wu Fei quickly made his way towards Lady Une's office to inform her of their decision. Duo walked away with Hilde, whispering something to her. Heero could tell that Duo was relaying their plan to his wife.

                Trowa and Dorothy stared at each other before leaving. None of them said any words but it was clear that they needed to talk. 

                And as Heero was walking away, completely ignoring the sad pair of blue eyes, he was enveloped in a tight embrace from behind. He froze. "Heero, thank goodness you're still alive," whispered the person who hugged him. "When I thought that you were dead, I…" the person started to cry. "Why didn't you tell me that you're alive?"

                Heero kept his silence, feeling Relena's tears soaking his shirt.

                Then, he gently detached the arms around him. "Relena," he said, dropping her arms. He didn't even meet her eyes. "You wouldn't want to be with me right now. I'm not… capable," he said, but he didn't finished his sentence.

                "But why? Why can't you?" Relena asked, going around him to face the Wing Zero pilot. "Why can't you be with me?"

                "I've made a pledge," Heero simply said, still not meeting her eyes. Then he started to move past her. "Forget about me, Relena."

                Relena whirled around to stop him. But when she saw something glinted from Heero's finger, her words stopped in her throat. Unable to comprehend what she'd just saw, Relena could only watch him walked away.

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                "So, you're coming back, huh?" said the dark haired girl on the screen. Heero watched as Sara scratched her head, frowning. "Figures. You need Wing Zero, right?" she guessed, knowing the look on his face quite well.

                "We thought that it's the best plan," said Heero, in a way of explanation.

                Sara shrugged. "Well, surprisingly, I thought so too. Especially after I finished gathering that information that I just gave you." Her eyes narrowed. "Which is why your Gundam is all prepped and ready for the taking."

                Heero nodded his appreciation. "Be back in a few hours."

                "Great. I'll get dinner ready by then."

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                "The plan failed. The Gundam pilots discovered our plan," said a voice, as it walked into the room. Winteridge watched the owner of the voice entered with two others. Behind him, the clone of Heero, Quatre and Kylie stirred, acknowledging the newcomers.

                "That's alright. We all know that they're pretty resourceful," said Winteridge.

                Still, the owner of the voice's face was grim. He said, "Actually, they had help. From a rather unsuspected source." Seeing Winteridge's raised eyebrow, he continued, "One of the alien spy was helping them."

                "Ahh… I see," said Winteridge. "That _is_ totally unexpected. Thank you for the information, Trowa," he said, nodding appreciatively at his cloned spy. "You've done a great job posing as the real Barton."

                "That's true. The fools didn't suspect it until it was too late," Kylie added. "But the bugs you've planted in the Preventer headquarters will tell us what we want to know."

                "Provided if they didn't suspect anything about them," Heero interjected.

                Winteridge spared a glance at him. "Oh, they will. As I said earlier, they are pretty resourceful. But it will take them some time to locate all of them. And for that, I'm proud of my spy." He sent a look of pride at Trowa's way.

                "Anyway, I'm more interested to know what our two friends here have accomplished so far," said Winteridge, changing the subject. He regarded the other two newcomers. "How's Earth this time of year, Wu Fei?"

                The clone of Wu Fei Chang stepped forward. "It's according to plan. I've stirred as much trouble as I can to make the Earth delegates nervous over our coming to power."

                "Excellent, excellent," said Winteridge, clapping his hands. "And you, Duo? How're things with the colonies?"

                "They're all so disturb that they wanted to declare war on us right now," the clone answered.

                Winteridge grinned, widely. "This is all good news. Everything's finally falling into places. With all the Earth Sphere delegates spooked and mistrust each other, none of them would agree to fight the war together."

                He then waved them out. "Go on, get out of here," he said, good-naturedly. "Your trainer's waiting for you at the lounge. He has a rather pleasant surprise for all of you."

TO BE CONTINUED… 

**AUTHOR'S** **NOTE:** Sorry to disappoint Kylie's fans out there. I received a lot of mails, hoping that she would be making a comeback. But I just would like to explore Mylin's character a little more in this series. But I hope you like where I put Kylie, in Quatre's dreams!


	8. Withering

**DISCLAIMER:** Gundam Wing belonged to Sunrise and co. I'm not making any profits out of this, so don't sue. Oh, those you think you've never heard before belong to me. And feedback is very welcome, people!☺

**TIMELINE:** The story takes place after Survival of the Fittest, I'd say almost two years.

SHATTERED MIRRORS VII: WITHERING. 

By Arayelle Lynn.

                "You're all going to fetch your Gundams?" Lady Une echoed what Wu Fei said earlier. Their decision to utilize the Gundams told her only one thing; they're going to war against Winteridge.

                "Heero's on it as we speak," Wu Fei simply said, as if it didn't matter what the head Preventers thought. "The others are preparing to leave the headquarters as soon as they're clear to launch."

                Sally put her hands on the table. "But aren't you being a little too hasty? We don't even know when or if Winteridge is going to attack."

                "Precisely. We don't know _when_ he'll be attacking," said Wu Fei, looking at his partner. "And now that he has clones of us, we can be sure that he'll attack anytime soon." Then his face hardened. "Besides, we're determined not to be taken by surprise again, like the war with the Telrhani." At that, he glanced at Mylin, who was listening in.

                Lady Une sighed. There's nothing she could do to stop them. Excluding Wu Fei, the Gundam pilots were not in the Preventers agency. And so, she can't control their movements. Even Zechs, a full fledged agent, had gone back to Earth to fetch Epyon. No matter how hard it was for her to admit, they were going to war.

                "Alright, you're dismissed, Wu Fei," she relented. "Go fetch your Gundam and I'll make sure that a hangar is made available for them."

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                Dorothy continued to follow Trowa. As soon as the silent pilot left the room, Dorothy saw her chance to have a few words alone with him. But now that they were alone, she found herself searching for the right words to say to him.

                "Something's troubling you?" Trowa suddenly asked, startling her. She looked ahead and saw that Trowa had stopped walking.

                "I didn't have a chance to thank you. That's twice you've saved my life," she said slowly.

                Trowa shrugged, nonchalantly. "Just doing my job. Besides, Quatre would be sad if anything happen to you," he said. There's a strange hollowness in his voice. 'One loss is enough,' he thought to himself.

                "I see," said Dorothy. Then, she started to turn away.

                "Actually, I have a favor to ask from you." Again, Trowa startled her. Dorothy looked up at him, concerned.

                "What is it, Trowa? What do you want me to do?" she asked, surprised by the level of eagerness in her voice.

                Trowa looked at her carefully. He knew that he'd be asking a lot from Dorothy by this, but there's no other way. There were too many lives at stake. "I need you to take over for Quatre. I need you to return to the colonies and calm them down. You must meet with the representatives and convince them not to get themselves involve in the coming war, one way or the other."

                Dorothy's face paled. "What? How?" she cried. "I can't do that. They won't listen to me. I'm from Earth, remember? I have little influence on the colonists as I have on the Earth representatives. And my grandfather was the one who had led the oppression on the colonies years ago."

                "But you're the only representative they saw Quatre trust the most. And it's logical that they would trust your counsel although Quatre has supposedly betrayed them," Trowa argued. "At this moment, the colonists didn't have anyone else that could provide them with guidance, with answers. They're all confused and scared because they believed that Quatre has joined Winteridge. And because of that, they need someone to replace Quatre. Someone who care enough about protecting this peace and not jeopardize it."

He held her eyes. "And only you can assure them that peace still stands. Only you can convince them _not_ to break this peace by joining Winteridge or worse yet, start a war." It was then Dorothy saw a pleading look in his green eyes. "Please, do this for Quatre. He has worked so hard to make this peace happen. Don't let everything he sacrificed for gone to waste."

                Dorothy was so surprise at this side of him that she didn't say a thing for a long time. She could finally see all his anxiety and his pain shown in his eyes at that very moment. This was her first glimpse of emotion coming from the quiet and reserved pilot. This was the other side of him that Trowa tried to hide. It was then she realized how Quatre meant to him, how _everyone _meant to him. They're all his family.

                "Alright," she relented, still surprised. "I'll do it."

                Trowa smiled gratefully at her. It was one of his rarest and Dorothy found herself liking it. "Thank you, Dorothy. I owe you one."

                With that, he gave her a salute and then walked away.

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                He watched the red haired girl exited the cell. She had been a too regular visitor to the occupant of the cell that he was beginning to dislike it.  He watched her talking to the two guards, stationed on either side of the door, obviously giving some orders. But to him, whatever orders she had, he began to resent having her near the patient. Why? Because every time she was there, the patient's condition deteriorated. And naturally, she would leave _him_ to clear up the mess.

                He straightened up as soon as he saw her walking towards him. "The prisoner seemed to have trouble breathing. Tend to him," she ordered, handing him the syringe that she had just used to put the patient back to sleep. Then, she walked away.

                Suppressing his real feelings, he entered the cell, minding the guards. He walked over to the patient. Did he say patient? Yes, this boy was a patient to him not a prisoner as the others treated him. He then checked the boy's vital signs, confirming his worse suspicions.

                His body was reacting to the drugs administered to him.

                "Wh… what's wrong with me?" someone slurred. He was surprised to find that the boy was still conscious. Obviously, he had been fighting against the drug. But nobody could fight a drug in this condition. Nobody normal, that is.  It told him that this boy was indeed a Gundam pilot.

                Still maintaining his professional facade, he regarded the boy. "Go to sleep, Mr. Winner. Don't fight the drug. You'll feel better when you wake up again. I promise," he said, letting a little emotion seeped into his voice. But the prisoner was unconscious even before he could finish the sentence.

                How he hated lying to the prisoner. He knew that Winner's condition would not turn for the better. That it would continue to deteriorate until they stop using the drugs and give him proper treatment. But how can he convince his employer to stop where their only concern was to keep the prisoner out of trouble?

                "Inhuman. Animals!" he spat to himself. "They should've killed him instead. That'd be a kinder fate than this." He tried to suppress his growing anger but failed.

                But one look at the prisoner, made his anger turned to sorrow. His hand reached for the boy's forehead, wiping off the cold sweat. The boy was definitely developing a fever. A bad sign. "I wish I could help you, young man," he whispered, his growing concern over his patient increased. "But they'd kill me if I do more than they ordered. Just like they killed Dr. Randells."

                With that, he pulled up a chair and sat by the patient's side. If he can't do anything to help the patient, he could at least stay by his side while his life slipped away.

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                The first thing that greeted Heero when he got home was the smell of stir fry chicken rice. Then, he saw someone emerged from the kitchen to greet him. "You're late," that someone said, as he closed the door behind him.

                "It was raining," he answered, taking the towel that was handed to him.

                "Figures," she said, wheeling her wheelchair around to return to the kitchen. "Dry yourself up and change. I'll wait for you at the dinner table." With that, she disappeared inside. Heero went to his room and found his warm clothes on his bed. Slipping off his wet shirt, he thought back about what had transpired just a few hours ago.

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                Wu Fei was ready to leave when he sensed someone watching him. Turning around, he saw Mylin, looking at him from the bottom ramp. "You're going to stick around?" he asked, with a minor surprise. "I thought you'd be eager to leave this place."

                Mylin shrugged. "Your Lady Une asked me to _stick around_ to assist them. Not that I have any place to go, so I thought I'd stay until I'm no longer needed." She looked at him with her alien eyes. "You have a problem with that?"

                He shook his head. "No, I don't. But the other agents might."

                She waved away his last statement, nonchalantly. She knew all about the stares she's been getting. "I can take care of myself."

                "That's not what I'm afraid of," he muttered to himself as he entered the shuttle. Whether Mylin had heard him or not, she chose to let the statement drop. She then moved away from the shuttle and walked out of the hangar.

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                She watched Heero ran full diagnostics on Wing Zero. Though she had done it for him earlier, she knew that Heero would feel more secure if he'd checked it himself. And that was fine with her. If the situation had been reverse, she would do the same thing too.

                'Imagine a cripple flying a Gundam,' she mused, bitterly. She was reminded of her present constraint.

                "Anything interesting happen while I was gone?" she heard him ask. She then turned her attention back at the task at hand.

                "The college people called. They were wondering why we haven't been to classes," she replied, tapping the keyboard. "I told them we've came down with chicken pox. That ought to avoid any unwanted visits," she said, referring to the campus counselors.

                "Chicken pox, huh?" Heero echoed, finding himself amused by the notion. Then, he shut down the database before him in satisfaction. He climbed down the catwalk and walked over to where he placed his flight suit. "Making any progress yet?"

                Sara looked up from where she was working. "Close but not enough."

                "Well, don't be too hard on yourself," he advised, slipping his flight suit on. "I know exactly how you feel," he said, interrupting whatever she was going to say. The girl smiled gratefully and resumed typing the keyboard. The gold ringlet in her finger, similar to the one Heero was wearing, glinted in the morning light.

                Finally, she stopped and turned to look at him. "You're going off now?"

                Heero climbed up to the cockpit. "Yeah. Take care of yourself."

                She hesitated, as if wanting to say something. But then, she changed her mind. Smiling faintly, she rubbed the ringlet. "You too," she whispered, as Wing Zero in its bird mode, began to hover above the ground. The upper ceiling of the small hangar slid open, allowing Wing Zero to leave its resting place after some time being grounded.

                Then, Sara returned her gaze back to the screen before her. She tapped a key and the schematics of Wing Zero appeared on the screen, replacing the one she was working on. She had wanted to tell Heero something about the Wing Zero but couldn't. Her only hope was to find out what the strange reading was before she informed Heero about it.

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                Winteridge eyed the man before him. Though his eyes betrayed his nervousness, his jaw was set and determined. He looked like someone who had had enough. "What can I do for you, Doctor?" he prompted, calmly.

                "Let me ask you something, your grace. Does my opinion count? Or am I similar to your other mindless soldiers that guard the door?" he said, sparing a glance at the guards behind him. It had taken him all his strength and nerve to come up there that morning. And he's determined not to falter right then.

                The Duke raised his left eyebrow, surprised by his boldness. "Of course your opinion counts. Did I ever hint otherwise? You're a valuable member to this organization," he answered, inserting some of his surprise in his tone. "Tell me, what's on your mind?"

                "Just this. I want to stop all use of drugs on the patient. And I _especially_ want this girl…" At this, he pointed at Kylie. "…to stay away from him. She's not helping his condition at all."

                Winteridge leaned back, calmly. He tapped his fingers together. "Ahh… so this is about Mr. Winner. How is he doing?"

                "Not good and your people aren't helping his condition either," he answered. The words were beginning to come out easily now. "Using sedatives on someone over a long period of time can be hazardous, even for a Gundam pilot. It could lead to many things, including cardiac arrest."

                "So, what do you suggest?"

                "Stop using the drugs on him. Tie him up or lock him up in a cell for all I care, but you must stop using the sedatives. His heart could not take it anymore."

                "If we keep using the drugs, how long does he have to live?"

                The doctor's eyes widened but he answered the question. "A few weeks. A month at most. But for the love of god, please stop what you're doing. The boy's already showing the signs and he's getting weaker by the day."

                To his dismay, Winteridge showed no emotion at his statements. Instead, he looked thoughtful. After some time, he regarded the doctor. "I'll think about it, doctor. Return to your station for now."

                Flustered, he was about to say something when the comm. panel beeped. Those inside the room turned their attention to the vidscreen, where a woman in a white uniform appeared. Her face was ashen. "Doctor, the patient's heart just stopped."

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                Quatre woke up to the sound of birds chirping and the warmth of the sun that fell onto his face. He opened his eyes and smiled.

                He was in a park. He could see the sun streaming through the green trees and of birds flying freely, singing their songs. He could see the children playing and laughing while their parents relaxing, basking themselves under the spring sun. Couples strolled down the park, not minding other people, lost in their own worlds, hand-in-hand.

                Looking at himself, he discovered that he was lying on the grass, just under a tree. Thinking that he had dozed off, he propped himself up onto his elbows. That's when he heard the sound of a strumming guitar and a soft hum. "You're awake," said someone.

                He looked at where the voice came from and smiled. Leaning against the tree was Kylie, her arms were cradling a guitar. She was dressed in a white summer dress and her silky red hair cascading loosely down her shoulders. She was looking at him, slightly annoyed.

                "I thought you were going to sleep the whole day through."

                Quatre looked at her, mischievously. "Are you kidding? And miss being with you on a beautiful day like this?" he teased, seeing the picnic basket and the food that were laid before them. He then saw a scribbled notepad and a pen. "What are you doing?"

                "What do you think I'm doing?" Kylie replied, strumming the guitar. "I'm writing a song for our first anniversary, remember?" she answered. "And the day is so inspiring," she commented, inhaling the fresh spring air.

                Quatre elbowed himself closer to her. "Well, what is it about?" he asked, reaching for the notepad.

                Quickly Kylie grabbed the notepad and stuck a tongue out at him. "It's a surprise, dummy," she said, scowling in a mock irritation. "You refused to tell me what you're getting me and I refuse to let you see the song I'm writing."

                "Please, just let me have a peek," he begged, playfully.

                Kylie pulled the notepad even closer to her chest. "Not if you don't tell me what you're getting me."

                His lips parted. He was about to tell her what he was getting her only to find him forgetting what it was. Shaking his head to clear the sleep away, he looked at her mischievously. "No. You're going to find out when the day comes."

                "Alright, then. You'll find out about this when _that_ day comes," she said, tucking the notepad safely inside the picnic basket. She put the guitar aside. Then, tucking a stray lock of hair behind her ear, she leaned back and sighed. Her eyes were on the green scenery.

                "What a beautiful day this is," she said, softly.

                Quatre propped himself up and leaned against the tree beside her. He reached for her hand but his eyes were looking at what she was seeing. "It is," he agreed. "And I'm glad I get to spend it with you."

                "Me too."

                "And I want to stay like this forever." This he said with a strong conviction.  

@@

                The sounds of running footsteps echoed throughout the hallway. Each step was filled with anxiety and fear for the patient. When he finally got to the prisoner's cell, one of the nurses ran to him. "Talk to me," he took charge, making his way straight for the patient.

                The nurse followed him. "The patient's heart stopped just a few minutes ago. We don't know what's wrong but we couldn't get him back," she reported, barely hiding the anxiety in her voice despite her calm exterior.

                'I know exactly what's wrong with him,' he thought, already starting CPR. 'It's that damn drugs they've been giving to the boy,' he thought, furiously. He forced himself to calm down and concentrate on the rhythm but nothing seemed to work.

                After a moment, he decided to stop. Without glancing at his two nurses, he declared, "Alright. We need to shock him." As soon as he had everything he needed, he started the dreaded procedure on the patient, hoping that it would be enough.

                It didn't look very promising a few minutes later and he was about to call it quits when suddenly, the monitor beeped and he breathe a sigh of relief. Even the nurses had a tear or two in their eyes. All three of them had somehow developed some sympathy towards the patient.

                For a long while he closed his eyes, listening to the beeps as though they were the most beautiful tune he had ever heard. He realized then, that his job was to save lives not torture them. He nearly wept for letting himself strayed away from that purpose, that reason that made him a doctor in the first place.

                "Good job, Dr. Esteban," said a voice he found himself hating. He whirled around.

                "Can't you see what you're doing to this poor boy?" he hissed, not caring if that the man before him could kill him right there and then. "Can't you see that you're going to cost the boy his life? This boy is sick, can't you see? He's been ill since the day you brought him in."

                Duke Winteridge raised his eyebrow, a little startled. "I see. Have you determined his illness yet?"

                Dr. Esteban shook his head. "No. I'm still working on it." Then he looked at Winteridge, pleadingly. "_Now_ will you stop drugging him?" he asked, hopefully.

                It didn't take Winteridge long to answer. "It is dire that we keep Winner out as long as possible. He's a Gundam pilot. If we let his mind free from the influence of the drug, he would find a way to escape or disrupt our plans. So, the answer is no."

                "That's unacceptable!" the doctor argued. "I demand you to stop right now."

                At that, Duke Winteridge's demeanor changed. He squared his shoulders and looked at the doctor, icily. "You _demand_, doctor? Have you forgotten who's in charge here?" he asked, there's a dangerous tone in his voice. "Or have you forgotten that this particular Gundam pilot is responsible for the death of _your_ wife and kids?"

                Remembering the reason why he chose to join Winteridge, the doctor trembled inside. Yes, he had forgotten. He forgot that this boy, who he was so concern about, had destroyed a colony where his family was staying five years ago. That this boy was the one who fired the Wing Zero's twin rifle on the colony. He should hate this boy, loathe his very existence. And he did and had sworn to make the boy pay.

                But why was he so concern over the boy's well being now?

                "Tell you what," said Duke Winteridge in an attempt on easing the tension. "We will readjust the amount of drugs we administer on the boy. And there will be _no_ visitor for the boy, besides the medical staff." At this point, he looked pointedly at the red haired clone, who was standing at the doorway with her fellow counterparts. At first the girl pouted, then nodded in agreement.

                "I guess everything's been taken care of. Good bye, doctor," he said, turning to join the clones. He spared a quick glance at the prone figure on the bed and at the stricken doctor. 'I guess I made the right decision by not telling him that I never meant Winner to survive this ordeal at all.'

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                When Relena decided that she need a little time alone at the observation deck, she found that someone else was already there. "Amy?" she called out, gently. The girl jumped and seemed to wipe something on her cheek before turning around.

                "Miss Relena."

                "Drop this Miss Relena thing," said Relena, coming over to the girl. "We're friends, aren't we?"

                Amy nodded, sniffling. "Yes, Relena."

                "You've been thinking about Kylie, haven't you?" Relena prompted, noticing her red eyes.

                "Kylie, Jack. I guess, I'm still wondering if I'd ever see Jack again," she answered. "And Kylie, well…"

                "You thought Mylin was Kylie, right? And you were disappointed that she isn't."

                Amy nodded. "It's just that I wish I had a chance to say good bye to her. She'd done so much for me. Why did she have to go?"

                Relena held the girl. "I know it's unfair. And what Winteridge has done by making a clone of Kylie is down right cruel. But I think given time, you'll find that it's better for her to go. Life had always been hard on Kylie. We should be happy that she, at last, found peace."

                "You think so?" asked Amy, wiping her tears.

                "I know so. And I'm sure Quatre had reached the same conclusion in the end too."

                Amy frowned at that. "Quatre? You mean Quatre Winner the missing Gundam pilot?"

                "Yes?" Relena confirmed, not certain as what to make out from her dreaded expression.

                "Oh, my god!" Amy gasped. "I didn't think it was possible. I thought… but then…" she stammered, recalling the last day she saw her friend, Kylie. Her last words to her had been someone's name!

_                'Quatre needs me.'_

                "Amy?"

                She looked at Relena. "Kylie and this Quatre were in love, weren't they?"

                At that Relena paused. She didn't know how to say it but… "Yes, I think they were."

                Fresh tears clouded her vision. She recalled Kylie's happy face once more. "It isn't right. They shouldn't be separated like this," she whispered. 'Not like Jack and me.'

@@

                Sara tore her gaze away from the screen. After been staring at the database for the whole day, she decided that she needed a change of scene. And she was surprised to find that the house was dark and the moon was high in the night sky.

                'I did it again!' she groaned, remembering that she had forgotten her much needed 'exercise'. A whimper from her left told her that she had forgotten another thing as well. Wheeling her chair towards it, she ruffled the soft silver grey fur.

                "Sorry, boy. I've forgotten all about lunch. Let's just settle for dinner, shall we?" she said to Adin. The wolf dog then led her to the kitchen, wagging its tail eagerly. He watched as Sara reached for a can on a hip-high kitchen counter and dumped the contents into a bowl.

                "Eat up," she said, placing the bowl on the floor. As the dog hungrily devoured his lunch-dinner, Sara grabbed a frozen taco and threw it into the microwave. "No time to cook. I'll just settle for this," she said to herself, making her way towards her bedroom.

                She emerged again, this time in a sweat suit and made her way towards the living room. She checked the progress that the database was making before wheeling her way towards the two beams at the far end of the room.

                There she reached for the beams with both hands, each grasping one beam, and pushed herself upright with a grunt. After that, she began her prescribed 'cripple exercise' as she called it by carefully pushing herself towards the end of the beam and back.

                It was a hard effort but it was one her therapist back at the rehabilitation centre insisted. And she had also insisted that Sara do it in the presence of another, as to avoid any accident. But then again, the therapist wasn't there and Sara had once threatened Heero to let her did it alone that now, it became a norm. Sara failed to understand why this exercise was essential. Why give a cripple the motivation and hope when it's obvious that she would never walk again?

                She stopped at the middle of the beam. Her breathing labored and her face was dripping with sweat. Again, she pushed away the disappointment she was beginning to feel. If she was in her normal state, it would take a lot to tax her like this.

                'Right!' she snorted, bitterly. 'But I'm not who I used to be, am I? I'm just a defenseless weakling now.'

                Deciding to continue, Sara's hand reached forward only to have slipped when she tried to grasp the beam. Fighting to regain her hold on the beams, she took a deep breath. Her mind contemplated on what would happen if she _did_ slip.

                'But you didn't, right?' she reminded herself. 'So stop acting like a weakling you already are.'

                So, she raised her sweaty hand to wipe it with the towel around her neck. A glint on her finger caught her attention and she looked at it with mixed emotions. She remembered the first time she and Heero registered in the college. Although they had tried as hard as possible to maintain anonymity, they're attracting more attention than not. Girls eyed Heero and boys watched her every move. Sara never considered herself attractive and couldn't understand why boys were looking at her every time she made her way around campus. The only reason she could come up was that being in a wheelchair attracted more attention, much to her discomfort.

                But Heero Yuy, now there's a reason for attention. She knew why girls turned their heads whenever Heero's around. He's practically the most handsome boy around. And the intensity in his eyes, the quiet calm in his voice gave him this mysterious aura girls found themselves easily attracted to.

                Sara snorted, shaking her head. That could be one of the reasons. Another might be that the students were all wondering what their relationship was. Why Heero was the only one wheeling her around the campus. Or perhaps they were wondering about these gold ringlets they both wore on their fingers.

                Gripping her fingers around the beam, Sara shook the thoughts away. 'It'll do no good thinking about such things as long as you're the one who know the truth,' she found herself thinking. 'Let them say and think what they want. They don't matter, not any more.'

                With that, she continued pushing herself towards the other end of the beam, her strength all restored by the short break. However, before she could reach the other end, she heard a beep coming from the database.

                Fighting to regain balance, she twisted her useless limbs around and started making her way back towards the wheelchair, this time her progress was record-breaking, if she bother to notice. But then, her mind was too distracted in wondering about the information that the database had just collected.

                The journey back was like a lifetime to her but Sara finally reached the database. Her fingers danced on the keyboard, her eyes searched the screen like a hawk and her heart raced. She knew what she was looking at but she had to make sure or risk putting Heero in danger. But when the database finally confirmed her suspicion the third time, she allowed herself to breathe.

                "I've found him," she declared to no one in particular. "I've found Winner!"

TO BE CONTINUED… 


	9. Rescue

**DISCLAIMER:** Gundam Wing belonged to Sunrise and co. I'm not making any profits out of this, so don't sue. Oh, those you think you've never heard before belong to me. And feedback is very welcome, people!☺

**TIMELINE:** The story takes place after Survival of the Fittest, I'd say almost two years.

**NOTE:** To avoid confusion, I have **_italic-and-bold_** the clones' name. Hopefully, that could help you understand who's who.

SHATTERED MIRRORS VIII: RESCUE. 

By Arayelle Lynn.

                The Gundam pilots made their way towards their respective Gundams, hastily. Each steps echoed the strong resolve that they were feeling inside. Their minds were all set to ensure the success of their latest mission.

                The hangar was bursting with excitement ever since Heero Yuy announced that he had found the whereabout of the missing Gundam pilot, Quatre Winner. The Preventer engineers quickly scurried off to give the pilots way, knowing that they had no time to lose.

                And the clock's ticking.

                Lady Une watched the four young people climbed into their Gundams. Though they didn't show it, she knew that they were all wondering what kind of state they would find their friend in. They were wondering if it's too late and that Quatre was beyond rescue.

                "Keep faith," she whispered, conjuring the thing that's called hope, which she had lost with the death of Treize's young ward. But this time, she found herself seeking for it for the sake of the future. "Hold on, Quatre."

@@

                "Trowa!" the brown haired pilot paused and looked over his shoulder. Standing below Heavyarms was Dorothy. She was looking up at him, pleadingly. Instead of jumping down to meet her, Trowa stood at the edge of the cockpit.

                "I want to go with you," she called out, cupping her hands around her lips. She had to shout to be heard over the hum of the engines.

                Expecting the request, Trowa shook his head. "No. You have to get to that meeting on L2 colony. You must talk the representatives out of arming themselves against Winteridge. The Maganacs will be with you to ensure your safety."

                "But I want to go with you. I want to see Quatre," she argued, stubbornly.

                "You will see him, _after_ we bring him back here," he said, calmly.

                But Dorothy wasn't ready to give in. "But I know my way around that colony well. Quatre showed me every inch of L4 colony the first time I went there. You'll need my help." The discovery that Quatre was being held on the colony had been startling. They hadn't thought that Winteridge would hide their friend in a plain sight. But it also gave them a shred of hope that they might find Winteridge and the clones there as well.

                "Abdul will be there with us. He'd know the colony as well as you," said Trowa, nodding towards the Arabian man who was prepping his suit. His commander, Rashid, was standing not far away. He was watching his man preparing to launch while waiting for his own departure to L2 to be cleared.

                "Besides, we can't have you with us. Once the fireworks start, we'll need to move fast," he continued, subtlely hinting that Dorothy would only slow them down. The plan was simple. The Gundams and the Preventers would storm the colony together. And while the latter would keep Winteridge's army busy, the Gundam pilots would board the colony and attack from within. The only complicated matter was to find Quatre before his captors hurt him or use him as a mean of escape.

                And of course, the safety of the innocent colonists who lived in the colony was imperative as well.

                Seeing that she had lost the argument, Dorothy relented. She decided to put her faith on the Heavyarms pilot and his friends. "Bring him back safely, okay?" she said to him. Without saying anything, Trowa nodded and entered the cockpit. He powered up.

@@

                Rashid watched as they launched. When he had heard where the enemy was keeping his dear master, he had mentally kicked himself. He should've never left the colony. He should've check every inch of the colony when everything started to look suspicious. If he had done that, he would've discovered his young master and rescued him before things turned out like this.

                If… if… 

There's so many things he could think of to blame himself but none would help him or his master. However, sending Abdul to be the guide had been the right choice. So was acting as Miss Dorothy's bodyguard while she attend the meeting on L2 colony.

                "You needn't blame yourself, you know," a voice said from behind. "I don't and I'm certain that my dear little brother won't either."

                "Miss Erea," he turned, bowing in respect. Erea Winner had opted to stay at the Preventer headquarters to foresee Quatra's medical attention when the pilots finally bring him in. She knew that she would do more good waiting where she was than being where her home had once been. "No, I'm beyond all that. All I want now is to have him here safe and sound."

                Erea looked at the man, kindly. She knew that the man had treated her brother like his own son, in which she was grateful considering that Quatre needed one after his real father was killed. And _especially_ after what happened a couple of years ago.

                "So, I heard this Heero refused to tell _anyone_ how or where he acquired this piece of information?" she said, more a statement than a question. She watched the tiny specks of her brother's rescuers disappeared in the blackness of space.

                "That's to be expected from Heero Yuy," he answered, shrugging. "But I will send my prayers to Allah to thank the person who worked for this information. He gave us hope when it's already foresaken."

                "Yeah, we owe him a lot, that's for sure."

@@

                Without a leader and the resident strategist, the pilots were forced to act individually. However, they compensated that weakness by dividing their attack point into five. And each of them was accompanied by a squadron of Preventers white Tauruses. The strategy was to create as much havoc for the enemy. Once the battle started, the Preventers would hold the enemy outside while the Gundams would destroy the enemy from the inside. If the information Heero Yuy brought to their attention was accurate, they could get ahold on Winteridge and end the war before it happened.

                As it stood, everything was going according to plan, for now.

                "I'm in!" Duo reported, as soon as he touched down.

                "Me too," came Trowa's voice. "Abdul's with me."

                The comm. crackled. "Great. Then you and Duo can go find Quatre. Wu Fei, Zechs and I will secure the colony and find Winteridge," said Heero, his Wing Zero was visible inside the civilian area. He spotted some enemy suits hiding in the area and knew that they're baiting him into a trap.

                "Roger that," said Trowa, beckoning to Abdul to lead him.

                Duo, spotting some soldiers coming, pumped his rifle. "Let's dance."

                "And mind the civilians!" Noin reminded from outside the colony. She was leading the Preventers' troops.

                "Yeah, yeah. You don't have to tell me twice, _mother_," Duo mimicked, then jumped down. His rifle spurting bullets.

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                "We're under attack!" a soldier reported.

                Winteridge nodded, his face and demeanor reflected a deep sense of calm. "That's to be expected. Though I have not thought it would be this soon."

                "I told you that this colony is not secured enough," said Duo-clone. "We should've made Jupiter our base of operation. That or maybe that secret base you were talking about." But his employer was not a bit swayed by his words. Instead, he looked at the clone patiently.

                "All in good time, Duo. All in good time. For now, we must prepare for our departure," he said, standing up.

                Quatre-clone looked at him, incredulously. "You mean, we're leaving? We're retreating."

                "Not really," said a voice that belonged to their unidentified trainer and Winteridge's right hand man. "Duo is right. We're paying a visit to our base on Jupiter." He looked at his boss. "All's been taken care of, Your Grace."

                "Thank you, my friend," said Winteridge. Then he turned to regard his 'children'. All of them were wearing disappointed looks. "Come, let's see our new home." Then his eyes flashed. " Or would you rather meet your original self?"

                Kylie-clone nodded, eagerly. "Could we? It would be fun."

                He sighed. "Children. Alright, you can go," he permitted, seeing the looks on their faces. "But make sure you don't do anything drastic. It's much too early to let them know what you people can do."

                Without a word, they all ran for the door. Winteridge halted one of them. "**_Kylie_,**" he said. The girl turned to look at him. "About the original Winner boy. You know what to do, right?"

                As a response, **_Kylie_** cocked her gun. She gave him a chilling smile before saluting him. Then, she was gone.

                "I love it when she's nasty," Winteridge commented, satisfactorily.

                His right hand man watched the girl left. A smile of pure evil decorated his face. "So do I, sir. So do I."

@@

                "So, how do you like the meringue pie?" she asked, watching Quatre swallowed the final piece.

                He smacked his lips. "Mmm… delicious. Just like the rest of the food that you have prepared here," he answered.

                Kylie frowned in confusion. "What are you talking about, Winner? You brought all the food. I only made the pie. Don't you remember?" she asked, watching him carefully.

                Quatre frowned too. He didn't remember bringing the food. In fact, he didn't remember going to the park with Kylie at all. Just as he didn't remember planning an anniversary gift for Kylie. And whose idea was it to go for a picnic? And what was he doing before he fell asleep?

                Suddenly, he was disturbed by his lack of memories. Very disturbed.

                "Are you alright, Quatre?" Kylie asked, putting a hand on his forehead. It was cold and pasty. "Maybe we should get you inside," she said, her face betrayed her concern.

                Quatre shook his head, removing her hand into his. He smiled reassuringly. "No, I'm fine," he lied. In fact, his head was pounding like crazy and he's starting to see two Kylies. His chest felt like fire and he found that it was getting harder to breathe. But he still couldn't find it in himself to ruin the outing.

                "Besides, it's not everyday that I get to see you," he said, then frowned. He suddenly felt as if he hadn't seen Kylie in a long, long time. But he waved the feeling away. "Now that I have you here, I don't want anything to spoil it."

                Kylie looked at him, uncertainly. But she nodded. "Alright, if you say so."

                As soon as she said that, they were suddenly being hit by a strong wind. Scrambling to his feet, Quatre grabbed the picnic basket before it tipped over. The skies darkened as black clouds rolled in fast. Thunders snaked the grey skies, clapping an earth-shattering applaude that made him wince.

                He looked around, suddenly finding that the park was empty, save for the two of them. Gone were the laughters of the children and their observant parents. Gone were the happy couples that were holding each other, hand in hand. Gone were the chirping of the birds and the warmth of the sun. And with the sun, gone were the green grass and brightly colored flowers. The park had turned grey and dark all of the sudden.

                The park seemed lifeless.

                And void of life.

                Grabbing all the food and stuffing them all in the picnic basket, Quatre had to yell to be heard over the howling wind and the clapping thunders. "Come on, Kylie. We have to go!" He grabbed for her hand once he had finished packing.

                But instead of pulling herself to her feet, Kylie detached her hand from Quatre's grip. She leaned against the tree, her face onlooking the terrible storm above. Looking at something beyond the black clouds and flashes of light. There was an empty look in her eyes and her face was blank. "Kylie?" he called, questioningly.

                "I'm not going anywhere, Quatre," she said, her voice was so soft that Quatre was surprised that he heard it above the winds. Then, she turned her face at him. There was a forlorn look in her eyes now. "But you are."

@@

                'There!' his mind warned, as Wing Zero rolled away from the line of fire that came from an anonymous source. A second later, a troop of Virgoes emerged from among the trees, firing at him. But years of experience as a Gundam pilot made it easy for Heero to get the upperhand. Effortlessly, he disabled the mobile suits _and_ spared the lives of the pilots piloting them.

                Not far away from his position, Zechs and Wu Fei were just finishing those who tried to get a jump on them. Like Heero, they disabled the mobile suits and ignored the pilots, as ordered. Now, they're scanning the surface for other hostile signatures.

                "When are they going to learn that they can't take on a Gundam?" Heero heard Wu Fei muttered under his breath, seeing the fleeing enemy's soldiers. "Just save us the effort and stop wasting our time."

                Suddenly Altron ducked, narrowly missing a stray missile. Looking at where the missile came from, they saw two mobile suits coming at them. "They never learn, do they?" Wu Fei spat, powering his twin-headed trident. He and Zechs charged the oncoming Virgoes.

                Heero held his position in hesitation. The Zero was trying to tell him something. Something about these Virgoes. And he's not about to charge in before he could determine what exactly Zero was warning him about.

                It didn't take him long.

                He immediately knew the second Zechs and Wu Fei engaged their enemy. As soon as Altron and Epyon zeroed in, the Virgoes suddenly rolled and landed a hard blow on the Gundams' backs, stunning the pilots. Then, both Epyon and Altron twisted around to return the blow themselves, only to find that the two Virgoes were gone.

                "Wha…" he heard Wu Fei began. But before the Chinese pilot could recover, something smashed into him from above.

                "Watch your backs!" Heero warned, his Zero system filled him with new information. "Those Virgoes are not normal." Wing Zero dipped forward to offer assistance when suddenly, something smashed into him as well. Heero clenched his teeth as he fought for control.

                "You better save the warning for yourself," said an eerily familiar voice.

                Another eerily familiar voice came in. "The Virgoes _are_ as normal as the other Virgoes. The only difference is the pilot."

                Wu Fei and Zechs exchanged confuse glances. They hadn't known anyone with the piloting skills equal to theirs.

                Instead of sharing his comrades' confusion, Heero's eyes narrowed into slits. His grip on the throttle tightened. "You're right. Only a true soldier could utilize a mobile suit to its maximum eficiency. The superiority of a mobile suit isn't determined by the power that the suit carries but instead, the competency of its pilot."

                "Well said, Heero Yuy," said the second voice. Startled by it, Wu Fei gasped.

                Zechs looked at the five, still confused. His eyes never left the three Virgoes, Heero answered Zechs unvoiced question. "Meet the clones, Zechs." At that, their screens blinked to reveal the faces of **_Heero_**, **_Wu Fei_** and **_Quatre_**. Though they were clones, Zechs could detect no flaw in their features. If anything, they could be the original Gundam pilots instead of copies.

                'They might look the same but are their skills matched the real ones?' Zechs wondered to himself, gripping his throttle tightly. Flanking in either side of him, he sensed Heero and Wu Fei tensed. He knew that they're wondering about the same thing too.

                "Very well. Let's see how much similarity there is between us," said Heero-clone, somehow reading Heero's mind.

                A second later, Heero found himself in the strangest battle ever. Against himself.

@@

                "Down!" a voice shouted. Abdul slammed himself on the floor as rains of bullets embedded themselves into the wall where his head once was. Someone moved next to him, firing his gun towards the bullets' origin.

                Then, something came from behind them. As quick as lightning, Trowa whipped his gun around and into the face of Duo Maxwell. The braided haired pilot pulled his hands up. "Hey, I'm the real me."

                Trowa lowered his gun and nodded. "Yes, I know. You've been following us since that last turn. Anyway, thanks for the warning."

                Duo blinked. "How did you know I was following you? And how is it that you're sure I'm not the enemy?"

                Trowa's eyes strayed back to the spot where the shooter was hiding. "Because I'm seeing two Duo Maxwells. Unless you've suddenly turned to the enemy's side, you wouldn't be shooting at us," he explained. Duo-clone bobbed his head up to give them a twisted smile.

                Seeing the shooter at last, Duo's face grew grim. "Go find Quatre," he suddenly said, his voice held a serious tone.

                Trowa threw a glance at the clone then back at Duo. He nodded. "Roger that."

                "Wait!" said Abdul, gripping Trowa's arm before he could move. He turned to Duo. "Are you sure we should be separated? We could take on the clone together," he offered. "It'll be faster."

                Duo shook his head. "No, it'll be faster if you find Quatre and secure his position. For all we know, he might be in danger." Then he shrugged as a mischievous grin plastered on his face. "Besides, I'd like to say hello to my double. Alone."

                Without wasting anymore time than they already had, Trowa and Abdul left the corridor while Duo covered their escape. They ran into more corridors, wishing that they have more information regarding the _exact_ location of their missing friend.

@@

                "Heero."

                A voice interrupted his concentration. The screen blinked as Sara appeared. "What is it?" he asked. Though he didn't say it, his tone indicated that he was busy. That, Sara could decipher almost immediately.

                "I managed to pintpoint Winner's exact location," she answered his question in an even tone. She could guess what was keeping Heero so busy and didn't want to distract him with small talks. Or an apology.

                Heero, in his part, swung his beam saber at the Virgo. He had discarded his buster rifle, knowing it would be useless inside the colony unless he wants to blow everything to bits and pieces. "He's at the bottom deck 14-D cell block 479," she continued, not waiting for his acknowledgement.

                "Roger that," he said, opening another channel. "Trowa. I know where Quatre is." He then relayed the location to the silent pilot.

@@

                When Trowa and Abdul reached the cell block, they were rewarded with a horrific sight. **_Kylie_** was poised before the prone figure of Quatre, with a gun pointing at his head. A man in white was lying on the floor, just next to her feet. There's a pool of blood forming around him.

                As **_Kylie_** turned her head towards them, Trowa was already flying. He caught her gun with a kick. A shot rang out as the bullet ricocheted into the wall, just above Quatre's head. **_Kylie_** hissed and executed a kick of her own but Trowa blocked it expertly. From the corner of her eyes, she saw Abdul running to join in the fight.

                Realizing that she was outnumbered, **_Kylie_** caught the side of Trowa's temple with the other foot before grabbing Abdul's shoulder with both hands. Then, she pulled herself up and over Abdul, landing right behind the surprised Arabian and executed a back kick that sent him hurling towards the dazed Gundam pilot.

                As she made it to the cell doors, she turned back and gave Trowa a mock salute. "See if you can do anything for your friend. To me, he looks as good as dead," she snorted, her eyes looking mockingly at the three of them. "See ya."

                Then she was gone.

                Trowa quickly scrambled onto his feet. Instead of persuing the clone, he turned to examine his friend. His heart wrenched at the sight of Quatre's pale face. Though he was unconscious, the look on his face indicated his sleep was not a peaceful one. His blue lips parted slightly, mumbling something incoherent. His hair was wet with sweat and the greenish tint on his face indicated that he's not well. His chest rose up and down but each breath he took was ragged, almost difficult.

                'Oh, god! What have they done to you?' Trowa shook his head, cradling his friend. He was surprised to find how fragile his surrogate little brother felt in his arms. "Quatre?" he called out, gently. He touched his forehead to wipe the sweat. It was cold.

                While Trowa was checking on the newly-found missing pilot, Abdul casted his concern for his master aside to give them some space. So, he went to the bleeding figure on the floor, who had just started to regain consciousness. The man in white groaned.

                "Are you alright?" Abdul asked, knowing that by the look of the hole in his heart, he was not alright. He cradled the man, offering as much warmth as he could before help arrived.

                "The boy. What about the boy?" the man asked, raising his arm shakily towards Trowa and Quatre.

                Abdul spared a glance back at them. Damn, he wished he knew how his master was doing. But he needed to see to this man first. "He'll be okay," he answered. "He's in safe hands," he continued, hoping he felt as confident as he sound.

                "Good," the man gasped. A trail of blood rolled down his lips as he choked. "I never meant… I shouldn't have… it is wrong," he coughed as more blood trailed down. "He is so young… he could've never meant to… kill them."

                "Shh… don't talk. You'll need all your energy," Abdul said, gently. He didn't know what the man was rambling about but he knew a dying man when he saw one.

                But the man continued. "I'm a doctor… should be saving lives… not torturing…" Then he gasped as sharp pain tore into him. He grabbed a handful of Abdul's shirt. "Please, get him some help… save him."

                "We will. Once help's here."

                He shook his head. "No! You don't understand… something's wrong about… he could be…" Suddenly the man convulsed and then there was silence. Shaking his head, Abdul reached out to close the man's vacant eyes. After placing the body gently to the floor, he turned towards his companion.

                "How's Master Quatre?" he asked, seeing how pale the young pilot look.

                Trowa shook his head. "Not good." Then, he nodded at the man lying on the floor. "Dead?"

                "Yeah. He never stand a chance. The bullet went through his heart." Abdul then looked thoughtful. "Though I am curious to know as to why he was shot in the first place. And if he _was_ protecting Master Quatre, why?"

                "We'll find that out later," said Trowa, taking out his comm. He switched it on. "Heero, the Desert Prince is secured. What about your end?" he reported. For a moment, there was no answer. Trowa and Abdul began to exchange glances, thinking that their friends could be in trouble.

                "We're busy," Heero's voice crackled over the comm. "Stay with Quatre. He might not be out of the woods yet."

                "Roger."

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                Heero switched off the comm. and gave his full attention on his opponent. Now that Quatre was safe, he needed to secure the colony. And to do that, he'll have to defeat his copy AND stop Winteridge from escaping. Tough job but somebody had to do it.

                And it had to be him.

                "My, my, you pilots really thought you could defeat me that easily, huh?" Suddenly a new voice rang over the comm. "But you forget that I'm always two steps ahead of you," said the voice mockingly.

                Heero heard Wu Fei cursed. "Winteridge. I'm going to cut your throat for all these," he spat, glaring at his double.

                The screen blinked and Winteridge appeared on the screen. "Really? But first, I would suggest that you finish with what you're doing now."

                "What are you talking about?" Zechs asked, not liking the sound of his tone.

                Winteridge smiled. There was nothing but malice in his eyes. "You're planning to take back the colony and save the colonists from my grasp, true?" he asked. None of the pilots acknowledge his guess and so he continue. "In that case, I would suggest that you be quick with it."

                "What are you saying, scum?" Wu Fei growled, impatiently.

                "Let's see. Since we _love_ this colony so much and are grateful by its hospitality, my men have left something for you to remember us by," Winteridge answered, obviously enjoying his game.

                At the corner of his eyes, Wu Fei saw a shuttle flew over the sky, away from them. "He's getting away!" he shouted, knowing exactly who's in the shuttle. Wu Fei then threw off his opponent to pursue Winteridge.

                "Let him be," Heero ordered, surprising both Wu Fei and Zechs. "We got to hear this," he said, turning his attention on Winteridge's image on the screen. "Talk. What have you done to the colony?"

                "Oh, just left some explosives lying around. They will all blow and take the whole colony with them." Then, Winteridge leaned forward. "I'm sure you people can stand a chance against my army. Question is, can you find all of the explosives _and_ defuse them in time?"

                Heero heard Wu Fei cursed again, this time he was joined by Zechs. Winteridge regarded them, his face was filled with a mocking laughter. Then it was gone, replaced by a sinister look that Heero found dangerous. "You have 90 seconds."

                The screen blinked off. Outside his Gundam, Heero saw their doubles disengaged and left towards the retreating shuttle. Almost at the same time, Zechs flew off. He was determined to find the explosives before it was too late. For now, all their thoughts about battling the clones were forgotten.

                "Sara!" Heero summoned, switching his comm. to another frequency.

                "Got that and I'm working on it," said the voice of his companion. He could hear the sound of the keyboard being tapped as the girl worked to find the exact location of the bombs.

                "Well, hurry up. We don't have all day."

                Sara's voice was calm but there's a hint of annoyance as she replied. "You stop worrying about the explosives for now. Start worrying about the colonists because Winteridge has broadcasted the whole conversation throughout the colony. In fact, you should be having a panic riot by now."

                True enough as Heero glanced down, he saw people streaming out of their houses, running for their lives. Many of them made their way towards the nearest launch bay, some still looking for their lost families. But all of them were panicking.

                "If they got to the launch bay, it will be so packed that the Preventer troops couldn't get in to assist us," said Zechs.

                "Dang it!" Wu Fei cursed again, slamming his fist on his controls. "He knew exactly how to play us."

                Heero remained calm. "The Preventers will handle the colonists. Our job now is to find the bombs and defuse them." He switched frequency again. "Trowa, can you find the bombs?"

                "I'm already on it. Abdul's with Quatre," he said, his voice sounded as if he was running.

                "Right." Then, Heero regarded another person. "Duo, did you hear that?"

                "Yeah," came his voice. "I'll get right back at ya."

                Heero nodded. "Alright. The rest of us will look for the explosives as well. We'll break pursuit of the enemy."

                "Roger."

@@

                "So you see, you don't really have much of a choice," said the voice behind the crate. "As much as I want us to get acquainted, you have to let me go and save the colony."

                Duo gritted his teeth. He had wanted to wipe the smile on the guy's face so badly. Was this the same feeling Wu Fei had whenever he saw him giving the same smile? Shaking his head, Duo forced himself back to the subject. Heero had given him his orders. Now, his choice was either abandoning this fight or the search.

                "Dang!" he swore, hurling his gun to the floor. He cannot wait for another minute. Lives were at stake while he's deciding how to defeat his double. As he ran back, he heard the sound of his clone's laughters and his voice, mocking him. "You'll never find all of them in time. We had them wired all over the place," he called out.

                 That made Duo quickened his pace.

                Eighty seconds left.

TO BE CONTINUED… 


	10. Reality

**DISCLAIMER:** Gundam Wing belonged to Sunrise and co. I'm not making any profits out of this, so don't sue. Oh, those you think you've never heard before belong to me. And feedback is very welcome, people!☺

**TIMELINE:** The story takes place after Survival of the Fittest, I'd say almost two years.

**NOTE:** To avoid confusion, I have **_italic-and-bold_** the clones' name. Hopefully, that could help you understand who's who.

SHATTERED MIRRORS IX: REALITY. 

By Arayelle Lynn.

**                00:00:75:04**

                He breathed the sigh of relief once the red timer stopped its deadly count. Wiping the beads of sweat on his forehead, he thumbed his comm. "Trowa here. I've defused one explosive." Then, he began to move away. "I'm going to keep searching for the next one." 

                "Roger that," said Heero's ever-calm voice. "That's four we've defused. Zechs and Wu Fei are already moving to find the next ones." 

                "Man, can't we at least determine how many they set up in this colony? Searching like this is like looking for a needle in a whole farm of haystacks," he heard Duo complained. The Gundam pilots had all agreed to keep the channel open to save time.

                It was Wu Fei who answered the question. "Well, Winteridge didn't exactly _offer_ anything. The next time you see him, don't forget to ask why he didn't make your job easier by drawing up a map and mark the place where he placed all the explosives," he replied, sarcastically. The tension of the moment was getting to him. And so was Maxwell's constant complaints.

                Duo bit back an angry retort. Losing his temper won't help the matter. Especially since he's trying to defuse one explosive at this very moment. "Alright, mine's defused. I'm moving to the next one." Though he didn't exactly say it, Heero could almost hear him screaming, 'We'll never get to the bombs in time!!' under his last comment.

                Frustration. He knew that he's feeling it too. All of them were. They only had seconds to find the bombs and defused them. And god knows how many explosives Winteridge had placed throughout the colony. And by the look of how long the colony had been within his grasp, it had to be a lot.

                "Sara, come on!" he whispered, silently praying that his secret partner would hurry up. He had never felt so helpless. Time was not on their side and although the Preventers had started evacuating the colonists, he knew that they have little time to get half of them off the colony. 

                After defusing his second bomb, Heero began his search for the next one. They had all divided themselves into sectors. Heero knew it's not enough but it's the only plan they have right now. "What does your mysterious informant say?" Suddenly a voice interrupted his reverie. Zechs.

                "Working on it," said Heero as a form of a reply. He didn't continue.

                "Well, he better work faster 'cause we only have sixty seconds left," said Duo, seemingly breathless from his run.

                Before Heero could reply, Wu Fei answered him. "_He_ is." He let his confidence reflected in his voice. "Heero wouldn't let a lesser man be his informant if otherwise. I trust his judgement." Though the others thought that Wu Fei was talking about Heero, only Heero knew what the Chinese pilot was referring to. Or rather, who.

                Fifty seven seconds…

                Suddenly, Heero's long range comm. crackled. Not slowing down his pace, he switched his frequency. "Sara?"

                "Got what you want," said the girl. Like Duo, she also seemed breathless. "Go to the nearest database and I'll transmit them to you." Heero obeyed and relayed the instruction to the others. He knew Sara would transmit the information to the other databases as well.

                "No time to explain how but this is all you got in your sector," said Sara as soon as Heero accessed the database.

                "Mother of all gods!" he heard Duo swore over the comm. That gave Heero a clue that the others were looking at the same display on their own databases. "It's enough to turn this colony into a nuclear disaster!"

                "I would suggest you start now. You only have fifty seconds left," Sara cut the rest of Duo's comment. Knowing that the others couldn't hear what Sara was saying to him, Heero reopened the channel to the others.

                "Let's go. We only have fifty seconds."

@@

                Sara kept her grip tightened on the mouse. After giving Heero the location of the bombs in the colony, she found herself rendered helpless. Now that her part was over, she wished that she had something else to do, besides waiting. She wished she could be there to lend an extra hand to Heero and his friends.

                She had wished for many things but none ever came true.

                And so, she eased her hold on the mouse, not wanting to break yet another. She fought to regain control over her raging emotions, just like she could do before the accident. But nothing could ease the turmoil inside her. The raging storm of emotions that began with the news came to her, continued on.

                "Please be alright," she found herself whispering. She involuntarily reached for the gold ring around her finger and stroke it. 'Let him be safe,' she prayed for the thousandth times.

@@

**00:00:49:50******

                Lady Une waited in her command post, anxiously. They had all lost contact of the Gundam pilots a few seconds ago. Even Noin, who was at the colony overseeing the evacuation, couldn't hail her husband. It was as if the pilots had all chose to ignore the world outside.

                "Still nothing, ma'am," said Preventer's communication officer, Agent June. "They've switched off their comms." 

                'Probably because they do not want to hear me ordering them to retreat,' Lady Une thought, clenching her fists. 'They would stay there until the last seconds. Damn it! Don't they know that they're worth a lot more to us alive than dead?'

                As Lady Une fought the inner turmoil that raged on inside her, Sally Po shook her head. No one had expected that the Gundam pilots' simple plan of rescuing one of their own would resulted to them being trapped on the colony. And it's not the usual kind of trap. It's a trap in which their own sense of duty and kindness were put against them. A trap that Duke Winteridge had carefully laid out for his enemy.

                "The shuttle bearing Quatre Winner had just lift off," June reported. Sally saw Lady Une relaxed a little. At least one of the pilots was out of danger. And that would put the other pilots at ease from the worry of their rescued friend.

                Deciding that she could no longer stand idle, Sally turned to her superior. "I better prepare a medical crew for Winner. I know that at least one person is already there at the docking bay." Without waiting for an acknowledgement, Sally exited the command post.

                Thirty seconds left…

@@

                Winteridge chuckled to himself. He knew that it was a brilliant plan. He had expected that the Gundam pilots would find him at the L4 colony cluster. Though he had been surprised by how quick they had found his hiding place, he had been ready. Sure, he had left some business unfinished due to this unexpected turn of event and that he would suffer some setbacks in his planning but he wasn't worried. He knew that the pilots would never find all the bombs in time to defuse them. And that their self-imposed ethics would surely get one or two killed, if not all.

                But Winteridge never get where he was by underestimating his enemy. He knew that with the Gundam pilots, things _can_ go unexpected. If somehow, the pilots survive the ordeal AND save the colony in time, then his enemy was far more resourceful than he thought.

                That would make the game even more interesting.

                And that would make them an even more worthy opponent.

                Twenty seconds left…

@@

                "Come on! Come on! Keep them moving," Noin heard one of her subordinate shouted over the comm. Now that Winteridge's army had all retreated along with their leader, the Preventer troops had no choice but to break pursuit so that they could handle the panicking colonists.

                Casting away her concern for her husband, Noin gave all her attention on the evacuation effort, though she knew that they won't be able to evacuate everyone to safety in time. Their only hope was for all the bombs to be defused. That's their only option.

                Glancing at the timer in her white Taurus, Noin almost gave out an involuntary whimper. She couldn't help but wondering about Zechs and the Gundam boys. She knew that even if she plead them to abandon their search, they would not. Zechs included. And so, she opted to stop wasting time getting through to them and help maintain order.

                And it never occurred to her to think what would happen if her husband perished with the rest of the Gundam pilots. Why? Because once, Relena Darlian had said something about Heero. _"…because Heero is the kind of person who can give us hope…"_

                And Sally had once said, _"I'd stake my life on that kid… because he can make the impossible possible…" _

                And over the years, Noin had learned that the same thing applies to the other Gundam pilots too. So, she held that thought as she counted every seconds. "Show us a miracle, guys," she prayed, twisting her head away from the colony.

                Ten seconds…

@@

**00:00:09:59******

                "I'm clear!" Sara's head snapped back when she heard Trowa's voice over the comm. While waiting, she had managed to tap into the Gundam pilots' frequency. She listened to every word they had conversed with each other, which was not much, considering that they all seemed to be wanting silence. It drove her crazy but just hearing their heavy breathing from running around the colony put her a little at ease.

                "Clear!" Heero reported next. "I'm making my way towards other sectors," he added next to his private channel with Sara. She wanted to tell him, to remind him that he wouldn't have anytime to help the others. But knowing Heero these past few years told her that she would be wasting her breath.

                "Mine's all defused!" she heard Wu Fei yelled over the comm.

                "Mine too," said Zechs, before Wu Fei could even finished his sentence.

                "Duo," Sara whispered, her eyes glancing at the timer.

**00:00:07:38******

                "Duo?" she heard Trowa said over the comm.

                A heavy breathing came as a reply. "I'm on my last. Hold your horsie, okay?"

                "Maxwell, you do NOT have time," said Wu Fei, his voice was filled with concern for the first time.

                "Hey if I blew myself up, tell Hilde I love her, okay?"

                "Duo!"

**00:00:04:44******

                They heard him cursed. "I dropped my Swiss Army knife. Guess I have to rip off all the wires."

                Sara's grip tightened. She knew that the others were all making their way towards Duo's location. But time was not on their side.

**00:00:01:03******

                "Damn!" she heard Duo yelled.

                Then, she heard the sound of a blast.

**00:00:00:00******

                And everything was quiet.

@@

                When the counter hit zero, Heero waited for the earth to shake under him. But it never came. Instead, a thick silence followed and for a moment, time seemed to freeze itself. When he finally regained his bearings, Heero looked around him. 'Wha…'

                "What happened?" someone beaten him to the punch. It was Trowa.

                "Where's the explosion?" he heard Wu Fei asked, sounding as confused and surprised as he felt.

                Heero reached for his comm. "Sara?" he inquired.

                But before his trusted informant could say anything, they all heard a familiar laugh. It was a laughter that filled with relief, with a tinge of disbelief. "Maxwell?" they heard Zechs voiced.

                "I did it! I can't believe that I did it!" Duo's voice was filled with glee.

                "What did you do?" Heero heard Trowa said. But his voice wasn't coming only from the comm. It also came from another corridor just around the corner. When Heero finally got to the corner, he saw Trowa staring at a black spot on the wall while Duo was jumping in a mad dance.

                A series of footsteps behind him announced Wu Fei and Zechs' arrival. For a moment, they all stared at Duo who was still dancing. It took Duo a full minute to realize that everyone was staring at him. Ceasing his dance rather abruptly, he cleared his throat and recomposed himself. He gave them a cocky smile.

                "Well, don't you all thank me all at once," he said, grinning like a Cheshire cat. "I did, after all, save the colony."

                But when the others didn't share his opinion, he sighed. "You guys don't really appreciate humor, do you?" He shook his head and then pointed at a charred item on the floor with his gun. "When I dropped my knife in the hole, I blasted the bomb to smithereens."

                "You used a _gun_ to blast an _explosive_?" Wu Fei repeated disbelief. "Whatever gave you that crazy idea? You could've caused it to explode, or have you forgotten that fact?"

                Duo shrugged. "Hey, I was already at my final seconds. I thought, what the heck… it wouldn't hurt to try, right?" he defended his actions. He then gave Wu Fei a cocky grin. "And it works damn well, right?"

                Suddenly, Trowa roared followed by Heero and Zechs. Both Duo and Wu Fei stared at their laughing friends, thinking that they might be laughing off the tension and not from the humor. Chuckling, Duo added, "Hey, what do you know? I've made Trowa and Heero laugh at last!"

@@

                As soon as things were secured, the Gundam pilots turned to a more serious matter. Once Noin positioned her agents on the colony, they returned to MO V to inquire the state of their friend. The second they all landed, Trowa disappeared into the hallway, his concern for his surrogate little brother was evident.

                Duo and Wu Fei paused when they noticed that Heero stayed in Wing Zero. "Heero?" they called out. But Heero seemed to be talking to someone else. So, not wanting to interrupt their friend, they left.

                "Winteridge's escaped," Lady Une reported. "He used the explosives to guard his escape."

                "That's to be expected," said Heero, looking at the screen. "Have you determined where he's headed to?"

                The image of Lady Une shook her head. "No. We had our hands full monitoring the evacuation. But my guess is he could be making his way to Mars. It's the nearest and the fall of L4 colony isn't likely to influence his control over the Mars colonies."

                "Roger that," said Heero, preparing himself for another transmission.

                "Aren't you going to see your friend first?" said Lady Une, interrupting him from breaking the contact.

                Heero's featured didn't change but something in his eyes softened. "Quatre has Trowa and the others looking out for him. He doesn't need me," he answered. Then continued before she could say anything. "I will see him once my business is done." With that, he broke off and opened another channel.

                "You got that?" he simply asked.

                Sara nodded. "Yeah, I'll do anything I can to find their hideout."

                "Do that. I'm going to see a friend."

                "Uh… Heero," said Sara hesitantly. He looked at her, questioningly. "Err… nothing," she said, not wanting to complicate the matter. "I'll get back at you in 24 hours."

@@

                The silence was so thick that Duo thought he could chop it off with an axe. They were all sitting in the white room, waiting for Quatre to wake up. After hours of being in the emergency room, the doctors came out only to tell them that their friend was not out of the woods yet. That their rescue might only be for them to watch their friend's life slipping away.

                No, the doctor didn't exactly say that. But it sounded just the same. That it's up to Quatre to fight it through.

                'But how can he?' Duo thought bitterly. He regarded his friend's shrunken frame and pale skin, which tinged with a sickening green pallor. 'He don't look like he has any fight left in him.'

                Duo almost cried when he saw the state his friend was in. He had seen his friends looking like that before they died. That was years ago, when he was just a little orphaned boy. Now, seeing Quatre looking like that made him fear that he's losing yet another good friend.

                Shutting his eyes to block the image of Quatre, Duo turned his attention to Trowa and Dorothy. Both were sitting on either side of Quatre. Dorothy was holding Quatre's bony hands, tears threatening to roll down her cheeks and Trowa was staring at Quatre's face, probably blaming himself for not going after him a lot sooner.

                Standing nearby were Heero and Wu Fei. Both of their faces were expressionless but being a Gundam pilot, it taught Duo enough to be able to read someone by just looking into their eyes. There in Heero and Wu Fei's eyes, was a look that promised Winteridge a whole universe of pain once they got to him.

                Of all, Duo found himself saluting Erea Winner. She had showed great strength and professionalism in handling the situation. Though Quatre was her brother, Erea Winner kept her emotions at bay and made occasional visits to Quatre's room and the physician office to find a way to help her little brother. Seeing her strength made Duo realized how he missed Quatre.

                'Don't you die on us, Quatre. We need you. All of us do.'

@@

                "Come on, Kylie. We have to leave now!" Quatre shouted over the roaring winds. The storm was getting worse. It took some trees off their roots and had scattered all their lunch. And it was getting harder to stand upright now. Well, for his case that is. As for Kylie, she was sitting on the grass as if the winds didn't bother her at all.

                "_You_ have to leave, Quatre. I'm staying," she said, her voice was soft.

                He shook his head. Why was Kylie behaving like this? "No, I'm leaving here without you. If you're staying, then I'm staying."

                As he said that, a thunder split, nearly breaking his eardrums, and the winds roared even more ferocious. Quatre cringed as he struggled to recover his wits. But he was satisfied when Kylie finally stood up and faced him. Her face was sad.

                "You can't stay, Quatre. I don't want you to."

                "Then, you'll have to come with me," said Quatre, hopeful.

                But Kylie shook her head. "As much as I want to, I can't."

                "Why not?" he asked, feeling a slight chill creeping over him.

                Kylie's expression was sympathetic. "Oh, Quatre. Don't you remember what happened? Don't you remember how we defeated the Telrhani?"

                As if on cue, a wave of memories and emotions rushed through him. It was then he remembered all the pain, all the anger and his feeling of helplessness. He remembered his denials, his insanity and at last his acceptance. As he remembered all of these, he felt himself experiencing the emotions again. But only now, the pain was even more intense.

                "Yes, I sacrificed myself, remember?" she said, voicing the thoughts that played in his mind. "I died that day."

                "But you're here…" his voice trailed off, hoarsely. His heart moaning, 'No!' He felt hot tears forming and his heart crushing.

                Kylie looked around them. At the storm, the grey trees and the chaos. She then gestured her hands around them, helplessly. "This is but a manifestation inside your head. The park, the trees, the birds all of them were created by you, Quatre. Even me."

                "You?"

                "Yes. You called me here. And I care for you too much to ignore your call," she answered, her love was clearly reflected in her eyes for the first time ever. "So I stayed with you, played along with your fantasy." Then she shook her head. "But I cannot anymore."

                Quatre gulped a giant size lump in his throat. "But why? Why can't we at least pretend that nothing has happened? Why can't we be together now?"

                "Because Trowa needs you. And Heero, Duo, Wu Fei and the others. They need you to be out there to fight Winteridge." Then she took his hands in hers, her eyes imploring him. "_I_ need you out there."

                He squeezed her hands. The tears were clouding his vision. "But I want to be here with _you_."

                "If you stay, you'll die," said Kylie, gazing at him sadly. "I don't want you to die. I want you to live. Please Quatre, you mustn't die with me."

                "But there's nothing there for me anymore. The guys can handle Winteridge without me."

                Kylie shook her head. "If you die today, Winteridge will win. He kidnapped you so he could weaken our team. And he's succeeding. Now, you're in the Preventer's infirmary with your life draining away unless you do something. Fight for your life, Quatre."

                "I don't want to. I want to stay here with you!" he insisted, stubbornly.

                As he said that, the thunder exploded again, shaking the very ground that they were standing on as the sky grew even darker. Kylie looked at the skies, frowning. She turned to Quatre again, her eyes pleading. "Please, Quatre. For the love of us, please go."

                "No, I'm staying with you. My death would not affect things as much. And Heero and the others are tough. They can take it."

                "What about Dorothy?" Kylie asked, quietly. "How would she feel when the person she loves died?"

                At that, Quatre was taken aback. He had completely forgotten about Dorothy! Now, he was torn. Torn between Kylie and dear Dorothy. How will she cope when he died? Will she accept his death well? Can he hurt the girl who had done so much for him in the past?

                But then, Kylie's here. He had longed to be with her. 

But what about Dorothy?

                "Please, Quatre. Live. Fight," Kylie pleaded for the first time ever. "You have so much to offer to life. I want to see you live the life that all of us have helped to create. I want to see you live with the person you love happily and die at old age. I want you to watch proudly the children and the grandchildren you will raised. I want you to enjoy what life has to offer. But must of all," she paused, brushing his hand on her cheek. "I want you to enjoy everything that was denied from me."

                Surprised, Quatre could only stare at her. He had never seen her shed as much as a tear. But now, a single tear was rolling down her cheek as she looked pleadingly at him. "Live, Quatre. You're the only one who can keep our love alive," she said, her voice was so soft that he thought he heard it inside his head. Maybe he did because the storm was drowning every single sound they'd made.

                "How can I live without you?" he finally said, brokenly. His chest felt like it was burning and tears trailed down his cheeks. "How can I go on without you being there to pick me up when I fall?"

                "You can, Quatre. You're far stronger than this. In fact, you're the strongest among us. That's why I chose you."

                "But I missed you."

                Kylie's heart tore but she held her strength. "And so do I. But we both know that it's never meant to be."

                The storm started to clear as the park returned to its normal state. Around them, they could see birds singing and flowers dancing along with the rhythm of the breeze. But aside that, they were the only ones there.

                "Go, Quatre. The others need you."

                Quatre gazed at the face of the person he loved with his whole heart. He reluctantly fought down the longing in his heart. "Will you be waiting for me?"

                "I will always wait for you, Quatre Winner," she said. "I will always be there for you. Just like old times."

                He smiled at the words. "Just like old times," he chorused.

                "It's time, Quatre."

                "I love you, Kylie."

                Kylie smiled shyly. "Keep me alive inside you." She leaned over to kiss his forehead gently.

                Then there was a flash…

                "Live and love, Quatre."

@@

                He opened his eyes and gasped. He saw white blurs moved within his vision before his eyes could adjust. His first sight was one of his friends staring down at him with deep concern in their eyes. "Wh… where am I?" he started to ask, wondering why his voice sounded so far away. Wondering if it was indeed _his_ voice.

                Trowa took his hand. "You're safe now, Quatre. We thought we nearly lost you there for a minute."

                Then, the memory opened up like a dam. He began to remember everything. The kidnapping, the prison, the drugs and the fake Kylie. He bolted. "Kylie! She's a fake," he exclaimed, then surprised when his body fell easily onto the bed. He felt like a rag doll.

                "Easy, Quatre. We know about that," said Trowa. "We know that they're all clones of us."

                But Quatre weren't listening. His mind suddenly remembered his dream. The last words Kylie had said to him, "Live and love, Quatre." It rang so clearly in his ears that he didn't notice that a single tear had rolled down his cheek.

_                'Keep me alive inside you.'_

                'I will, my love,' he promised to himself.

                "Let's all leave and give Quatre some time to rest," he heard someone said. Duo?

                He opened his eyes, after realizing that he had drifted off. He was deeply touched seeing the reluctance in their eyes. He felt sorry for making them so worried. "It's okay, guys. I'm fine, really."

                "Yeah and that's what you always said back then too," a new voice said and a blond woman in a white jacket entered.

                "Erea," he said, recognizing her. His sister looked pale and tired. 'What have I cost them? What have I _almost_ cost them?' he wondered, recalling his insistence to stay with Kylie.

                "No, don't do that," said Erea, raising her voice. She read his expression so well. "What happened to you was not your fault. And it isn't your fault that you got us so worried. It's our choice."

                Quatre nodded, not wanting to continue the argument. He suddenly felt very sleepy.

                "What are you waiting for?" Erea said to the rest of them. "My brother needs his rest and you're depriving him of that." With that, she shooed them all out. All but Dorothy, who gazed at him with a smile on her face.

                "Hey," she said. "You got me very worried there."

                Quatre took in her pale face and tired eyes. There was a trail of dried tears on her cheeks.

                "I guess I better go as well," said Dorothy, seeing Quatre unable to keep his eyes open.

                But he stopped her with a hand on hers. "You cried for me," he said, surprised.

                Caught red-handed, Dorothy's hand flew onto her cheek as she blushed. "Just a little," she answered. She hadn't been crying for quite some time now. But now, it embarrassed her that she would cry again. She always thought that it was a sign of weakness.

                That was, until she met Quatre.

                Hiding her red face, Dorothy started to move away. She was startled when his hand refused to release hers. Questioningly, she looked at him. "Quatre?" she asked.

                "Stay with me," said Quatre, weakly. He barely could keep the words straight. "I don't want to be left alone again."

                Dorothy didn't know what made her heart suddenly soar. Maybe it was the words, or maybe it was the look in his eyes, or maybe it was the fact that they'd been separated for many months now. But one thing she knew was that Quatre had never given her such look before. It was a look of pure love.

                "I'll never leave your side, Quatre," she said, sitting down. But the words barely registered in his mind as he was unconscious again.

@@

                Her eyes flew open. Seeing the dancing screensaver before her, she realized that she had somehow dozed off. Running a hand to wipe out the cold sweat on her face, she tapped the keyboard to reactivate the computer.

                "Still searching," she said to no one in particular. 'I must have been asleep for a short while.'

                She glanced at the digital clock beside her. She's due to report to Heero in a couple of hours but she still couldn't get the things that he wanted. Sighing, she pulled her wheelchair back. 'No point worrying about anything. Things will unravel on its own,' she said to herself, trying to ease the dull ache in her heart. The words had became the main philosophy for her ever since she found out that she could never walk again.

                Leaving the database to do its job, Sara wheeled herself to her room.

@@

                "So, they managed to save Quatre Winner AND the colony," said Winteridge, staring out at the stars before them. "Very impressive. We've underestimated their resourcefulness."

                "But to get to every explosive without the means of detecting them? That's nearly impossible," said **_Duo_**-clone. "We've timed it so perfectly that they won't be able to get to all of it in time. What went wrong?"

                "Perhaps they _do_ have means of detecting them," **_Trowa_**-clone pointed out.

                **_Wu Fei-_**clone turned to him. "You're saying that we have a traitor who gave them the information?"

                "Or maybe the doctor that was treating Winner," said _Duo_-clone, looking at **_Kylie_**-clone.

                The girl shook her head. "Not him. I left him in a state where he couldn't tell anyone about anything. Besides, he didn't know anything about the explosives. Only we know about them."

                "So, that would mean that we _have_ a spy," **_Duo_**-clone concluded.

                "Now, let's not jump into conclusion," said Winteridge. "It's much too early to decide anything. For now, I think that we ought to give the Gundam pilots the credit for their resourcefulness. Let's pretend that they've somehow acquired the information on the location of the explosives before we start making assumptions." He then glanced at the man behind him, standing in the shadows. "Don't you think so, Instructor D?"

                The man or Instructor D, as the clones knew him as, nodded.  "You're quite right, Your Excellency." He turned to the people he trained. "Perhaps today you've all learned the merit of patience and to be open to new possibility."

                **_Heero_**-clone, who had been quiet all the while, nodded. He gave his comrades a look. "It is safe to say that we've learned much today, instructor."

                "Good," said Winteridge, leaning back. "Now, we will sit back and watch our friends out there."

                "When will we make our move?" asked **_Quatre-_**clone.

                "When our armies are ready. For now, it's their move now."

**TO BE CONTINUED…**


	11. Recovery

DISCLAIMER: Gundam Wing belongs to Sunrise and co. I'm not making any profits out of this, so don't sue. Oh, those you think you've never heard before belong to me. And feedback is very welcome, people!âº  
  
TIMELINE: The story takes place after Survival of the Fittest, I'd say almost two years.  
  
SHATTERED MIRRORS X: RECOVERY.  
  
By Arayelle Lynn.  
  
"I have good news and bad news, whichever you want first."  
  
Heero regarded his secret partner silently. "You failed to find Winteridge's location," he guessed but it sounded more like a statement.  
  
Sara nodded. "For now. Winteridge cleverly split his forces and sent them to various possible locations. I tried finding his shuttle's destination through the fuel residue but there were too many similar shuttles being active at the time that I couldn't really pinpoint his location." She paused. "Which lead us to the good news."  
  
He raised his eyebrow, questioningly. "Meaning?"  
  
"You said Winteridge destroyed all his computer files on L4, right?"  
  
Instead of responding, he waited for her to continue.  
  
"Well, I managed to recover them."  
  
"But Winteridge would still anticipate that. He might've downloaded..."  
  
"False information to throw us off track, I know," she interrupted, nonchalantly. "It's me you're talking to, Heero. Give me time to isolate some of the stuff and I'll give you what you want," she told them, hinting that she could find Winteridge's location through the files.  
  
Heero nodded. "Alright. We'll do what we can here."  
  
As soon as Sara signed out, he decided to pay a visit to the infirmary, particularly Quatre. The blond pilot still didn't know about Heero's rise from the dead. It's not that Heero hadn't seen his friend a few hours ago. In fact, he had been there waiting in the room with the others. The only reason was that Quatre was too out of it to notice him and that Heero felt that it would be a good idea not to call attention to himself.  
  
But now, he knew that he couldn't avoid the inevitable. If they were going to be able to work together, he and Quatre will have to set some things right.  
  
The sounds of quiet laughter echoed from the room as Heero made his way along the hallway. Judging by the deep voices talking in the room, he made a guess that Quatre's Maganac friends were inside the room, paying a visit to their beloved master.  
  
When he entered, all laughter ceased. They were all staring at the newcomer when a gasp broke the silence. "Heero! You're alive!" Quatre exclaimed, almost jumping off the bed if it wasn't for Rashid, who caught him in time.  
  
But Quatre was too agitated to sit back. Instead, he pushed himself towards Heero, forgetting the weakened state of his body. He felt so good to see his friend again, and more. "You're alive!" he breathed a sigh of relief.  
  
Heero nodded. Behind him, he sensed rather than heard others stepped into the room. For now, the room was crowded with the Maganacs, himself and his Gundam counterparts. Noticing this, Abdul cleared his throat. "Uh... we'd better be going. There's still a lot to do before things are put into motion," he said as the Maganacs filed out of the room. They all knew that this was the talk for Gundam group only.  
  
Heero studied the newcomers from the corner of his eyes. Yes, his Gundam friends were all there. However, there were three other people there as well that he hardly considered it as Gundam group meeting. But they too had a right to hear whatever he was going to say.  
  
"Heero, tell me," said Quatre, breaking his thoughts. The blond pilot was moving nearer to Heero as if wanting to touch him to make sure that he was really there. "Tell me, Heero. If you're really here, then is Kylie..." he couldn't go on but his eyes bore into Heero's hopefully.  
  
From behind him, Heero sensed Amy mirroring the look on Quatre's face. Taking a deep breath, Heero shook his head. Not two but it seemed that all of them were disappointed. Amy was starting to cry if Relena hadn't put a reassuring hand on her shoulder.  
  
Heero saw Quatre nodding and muttering to himself. "So the dreams had been real. She's really gone," he was saying. His voice sounded so distinctive that Heero had to strain his ears to hear. After a moment, Quatre gathered himself and looked up. "What happened back then, Heero? Why didn't you tell us that you're still alive?"  
  
Instead of answering, Heero lowered his head. "You failed to get to her in time, didn't you?" Quatre guessed, sensing his friend's feeling. After all, he and Kylie had been pretty close. "That blast must've caused extensive damage to your Gundam and yourself, right?"  
  
Heero did not deny it or confirm it. Instead, he stared at Quatre. Then, after a long silence, he spoke up. "I wasn't planning to come back but Winteridge's treachery forced me to," he said, as the only excuse that he could come up with. He wasn't a person with words. To him, what you see is suffice enough.  
  
"Yeah, Winteridge caught all of us off guard," Quatre admitted. He had put the missing pieces together while he was resting. Now, everything seemed clear to him. "The fact that Winteridge was able to plan anything without us knowing about it impresses me. If anything, he could be our worse foe yet." Then he shook his head, regretfully. "We should've listened to Kylie."  
  
"Stop that!" said Heero, his voice raising. "We should not wallow ourselves in regret. What we need to do now is plan our next move. The future depends on what we do now. Our efforts in the past rely on our actions now."  
  
Quatre nodded. "Yes, you're right as usual," he said, wiping his still pale face. Dorothy immediately moved to his side, gently pushing him back onto the pillow.  
  
"Well, you can discuss about it later when my little brother is well enough," said a new voice. They turned to see Dr. Erea Winner entering the room. "Visiting hour is over, people. The patient needs his rest."  
  
Giving their friend a last look, the Gundam pilots left the room, followed by Relena and Amy. Dorothy stayed long enough to kiss Quatre's forehead and waved good-bye to Erea. Once everyone had left, Erea turned to her little brother. She waved a white folder in her hand and her face was grim, bearing bad news as it seemed.  
  
"Quatre, you and I need to talk."  
  
@@  
  
Since both Gundam pilots and their Preventer ally failed to locate Winteridge's exact location, they planned on one thing. Target and destroy the gundanium mines in the asteroid field. And they started by studying the information, which Heero retrieved from his mysterious informant.  
  
"This is but only a small number of mines that Winteridge found in the asteroid belt," Heero informed them.  
  
The others looked at him, startled by the truth. Their thoughts were unanimous. There were more?  
  
Mylin nodded in agreement. "I'd really like to know how this man located each and every one of them. This is just too many to be plain old luck," she expressed her opinion.  
  
"We'll settle that once we find him," said Quatre, still in his hospital gown. He had insisted to be included in the meeting and after a few arguments with his sister and the Maganacs and a promise that he'd ride on a wheelchair, he was allowed to be in the meeting. "First thing's first, we have to decapitate his arms operation. Hopefully, it would draw him out."  
  
Trowa stared at a report in his hand. Then he handed it to Lady Une. "Well, according to this, Winteridge has only installed standard security system for each of his mines."  
  
"Meaning?" Noin prompted.  
  
Duo grinned, cockily. "Meaning, it won't be hard for us to destroy those mines. Us and the Gundams that is."  
  
"So, are we all in agreement on the notion to destroy the gundanium mines?" asked Lady Une.  
  
All hands shot up.  
  
"Good," said Lady Une, regarding everybody in the room. "You have a go, Gundam pilots. We Preventers will assist you as we can. We're not used to this guerilla-style combat as you do but we're willing to do anything to ensure the Unified Nation's security."  
  
All Gundam pilots nodded their thanks. They discussed some more before Lady Une called the meeting adjourned (that was after seeing Quatre's face starting to pale from exhaustion)  
  
Quatre massaged his throbbing head. His head started to hurt a while back so he was rather relieved that Une called the meeting to an end. As he was being wheeled out by Dorothy, he addressed his trusted friends. "I'm sorry I can't be of much help out there, guys," he said, feeling sorry that he's going to miss the action.  
  
"Don't, Quatre," said a voice. Quatre was startled to find Heero, not Trowa or Duo, bending and looking at him with concern in his eyes. His Prussian blue eyes were even darker than usual. And he surprised Quatre more when he raised his hand and brushed a stray strand of hair off Quatre's eyes. A gesture that mirrored Kylie's a few years back. "You being here alive and well is enough for us," he said, his voice was soft. It was then Heero reminded Quatre more and more of Kylie.  
  
After a minute had passed, Heero nodded at Dorothy, signaling her to wheel Quatre away. As he contemplated upon what had just happened, Quatre barely registered himself being whisked away.  
  
Heero watched as Quatre and Dorothy disappeared. His heart was touched by one feeling, regret. Then, sensing that the others were watching him, he dropped his expression and turned to them. This time, he wore his usual stoic mask.  
  
"Let's get to it."  
  
@@  
  
Silence shrouded both of them as Dorothy led Quatre away from the meeting room. It was only until they reached Quatre's room did the silence ceased. "Are you alright?" Dorothy asked, seeing him cradling his head, lost in thoughts.  
  
Quatre shook himself out of reverie. He looked up at Dorothy and smiled. "I'm just tired, I guess. The day's been a little taxing. I'm just glad that my sisters are returning home to foresee the business while I'm not... available."  
  
"You're worried about them, aren't you?" she asked, knowing his concern look all too well.  
  
"Them and all of us. My sisters will be having a tough time cleaning up the mess my clone had left," he admitted. Then, he sighed. "And us, it isn't enough that we have to rescue our people from the Telrhan Empire, we have to face our people's own insolence."  
  
Hearing the weariness in his voice, Dorothy slipped her arms around Quatre from behind. She let him rest his head on hers and heard him sighed. "Quatre, if you keep carrying that feeling inside, sooner or later it'll destroy you. Let's view life as facing challenges one at a time. It'll be less burdening that way." She squeezed him a little. "And don't worry, I'll be here to shoulder your burden as well."  
  
"Thanks, Dorothy," he said, patting her arm. Of all the reasons to love Dorothy, Quatre loved her supportiveness and understanding the most. That alone had saved his soul before. And again.  
  
Quatre let Dorothy assisted him to the bed. Once there, he watched as she folded the wheelchair, throwing him a smile. At that moment, Quatre saw the love flashed in that smile and the passion burning deep in her eyes. It was then, Quatre felt contented.  
  
"Dorothy," he began, grabbing her hand as she started to tuck him in. "Would you do me a favor?"  
  
Dorothy's long eyebrow arched, questioningly. She couldn't read the expression on his face. So, she asked, "What is it, Quatre?"  
  
"Marry me."  
  
@@  
  
She woke up with a start. Forcing herself to ease the trembling throughout her body, Sara wiped the cold sweat from her forehead. The nightmare rang in her head, though seemingly faraway now it was still vivid enough to cause her heart to pound.  
  
She could still remember the little girl, crying in the darkness. She could also recall the body of a boy, lying on a pool of blood on the floor. She remembered the man who had choked the life out of the boy and then ripped his flesh apart. And she could also remember the little girl running away, her clothes in tatters.  
  
But the thing that she remembered the most was that the little girl's hands were covered in blood. But the blood weren't hers, it was someone else's. And she also remembered the fact that there was a broken dagger in her left hand, which was also covered with blood.  
  
Sara remembered everything that happened. Yes, it wasn't a dream. It was reality. She remembered all too well who the dead boy was. She remembered all too well the man that killed the boy. Most of all, and she could almost taste it in her mouth, she remembered whose blood it was that covered the girl's hands.  
  
Rubbing her tired eyes, Sara looked up. Again, she found herself staring at the computer screen. Again, she realized that she had fallen asleep in the middle of her search. Chastising herself, she tore her gaze to another screen. There laid what she had been looking at; the schematics of Heero's Wing Zero.  
  
Again, she fought the urge to tell Heero what she had found. But caution stopped her. She had to make sure that what she had accidentally found was truly worth Heero's attention. She couldn't afford to distract him now. And it was also for a fact that she was curious to know how Wing Zero worked. She had been deeply impressed by its magnificence since the first time she laid her eyes on it.  
  
No, she better keep this to herself. For now.  
  
Then, she turned to regard Adin. The dog was sound asleep. Who wouldn't? It was three in the morning. No one in the right mind would stay up late at this hour. No one but Sara. But she's used to this. Every time Heero went to one of his "missions", Sara was sure she wouldn't get much sleep.  
  
Like she slept much.  
  
But Sara didn't mind. In fact, she welcomed it. She had always preferred the harsh reality of life rather than the agony her sleep seemed to inflict on her. Only the dead sleeps, she always told herself. And she believed it whole-heartedly.  
  
Shaking the final sleep from her head, Sara moved closer to the database. It's time to get back to work. And she's determined not to let Duke Kent Winteridge's computer virus stop her.  
  
@@  
  
"Target sighted at 3 o'clock," Duo's voice crackled in the comm.  
  
"Great. Initiate Operation Clean Up in ten seconds," said Lady Une, standing in the Preventer's operation room.  
  
"Duo shall go in first since his stealth cloak could easily penetrate the security," Quatre relayed the plan. He insisted to be included in the operation back in the base. "Heero and Trowa will hit them hard and Wu Fei will take on anything that escaped the others."  
  
They had all agreed, much to Lady Une's dismay, to leave the Preventers out of the operation. Destroying a mine didn't require a lot of firepower. In fact, it was dire that they move in a small number as possible because that's how a guerilla group attacks. And the fact that the Preventers will be needed in the real battle when Winteridge finally launched his full-scale attack drove the Gundam pilots to do this alone.  
  
And of course, neither boys wanted to stain the Preventer's hands with bad blood that will be spilled once the boys' guerilla attack-style began. They knew that the agency must keep their duty as protectors of Earth Sphere, nothing more. Especially not this kind of revenge-mission against Winteridge.  
  
"Mission accepted," Heero said over the comm. when the ten seconds was over.  
  
"Here I come!" said Duo. The excitement for going back to their old style of fighting was evident in his voice. In fact, Quatre himself felt his adrenalin starting to rush and knew that the others were feeling the same way.  
  
@@  
  
"They've destroyed Point D2," said a voice, interrupting his reverie. Winteridge looked up to his six finest 'knights'. He raised his left eyebrow. "Indeed?" was all he said. "Our friends seemed to be more resourceful than I thought."  
  
"They shouldn't have known about the mines," said Duo-clone, his worry was evident. "They shouldn't even know that the mines actually existed!"  
  
"And yet they do," said Winteridge, drumming his fingers together calmly.  
  
"And we don't have to bet that they would be targeting the other mines soon," said Wu Fei-clone.  
  
The aristocrat nodded, his demeanor didn't change. "We don't have to. They will destroy each and every one of them."  
  
"What do we do?"  
  
"Nothing."  
  
"Nothing?"  
  
Winteridge nodded. "That's what I said." Then he sighed, seeing the disbelief look on their faces. "Instructor D, how's the operation on Point D2?" he addressed the man behind him. The mysterious Instructor D didn't even glance at the screen before him. He kept his eyes on his 'students'.  
  
"Obsolete production." Was his answer.  
  
Winteridge looked at his champions. "Meaning, the Gundams had just did us a favor by cleaning up our mess. The production on Point D2 was almost at its end. What we need from the asteroid is all transferred to our designated place."  
  
"So you're saying the mine was useless," said Duo, curiously.  
  
"That's what I said."  
  
"What about the others? What we're going to do about them?" asked Wu Fei.  
  
This time, the instructor answered his question. "Nothing. Do not make His Excellency repeat his answer," he warned them.  
  
The clones quieted. But they exchanged dissatisfied glances. They couldn't bring up the subject of a possible spy among them again. They had never experienced Winteridge's wrath and found themselves determined not to find out. Winteridge was a very dangerous man. They knew just by looking into his calm-filled eyes.  
  
And so, they kept their silence and watched their mentor smiling at them.  
  
"And so, it begins."  
  
@@  
  
For the first time since everything started, they had something to celebrate on. Within five days, the Gundams managed to destroy all the mines in the asteroid belt. And according to Heero's source, there were still a little more. But what really caused the celebration was the engagement of Quatre Winner and Dorothy Catalonia.  
  
Everyone had been pleased by the news, especially Quatre's sisters who were happy to see their brother's face glowing in happiness for the first time in his life. Though they excluding Dr. Erea Winner, were leaving MO V, they were glad that they had the opportunity to celebrate their brother's engagement.  
  
"Congratulations. You deserve it, Master Quatre," said Rashid. He and the other Maganacs were also leaving for L4 colony cluster. Quatre had asked them to protect it if Winteridge attack the colony again. He was worried what the duke would do to his family now that his mines were destroyed.  
  
"Thanks, Rashid. I guess it's already time," said Quatre, sparing a glance at his future bride, who was talking to Relena and Amy. The three were also leaving MO V, as Relena had to return to her duties, heavily guarded of course, and Amy was going to reside in the Winner's mansion with Dorothy for a couple of weeks.  
  
It had taken Quatre and Noin everything to convince Relena, Dorothy and Amy to leave so that they would not be caught in the battle should Winteridge counterattack. But they only managed to convince Dorothy and Amy to stay in a secure place, Relena insisted to be with the rest of the Earth Sphere representatives. And much to Quatre's surprise, Heero didn't even try to stop her. Instead, he had been totally ignorant in whatever that concerned Relena.  
  
And he didn't seem quite happy with Quatre's engagement at all. At least, that's what Quatre was able to interpret from the empty expression on his face. And of course, the fact that he's now sitting near the window, gazing at the suspended blue orb light years away.  
  
"You alright?" he asked as he walked over to his friend. Heero didn't tear his gaze from the window.  
  
"Why wouldn't I be?" he returned Quatre's question.  
  
The blond pilot studied his face. "I don't know, you look unhappy. Was it because of the engagement?" he speculated, knowing how close Heero was with Kylie. He thought maybe somehow, his stoic friend was thinking that he's betraying Kylie's memory by marrying Dorothy.  
  
Heero spun to face Quatre. He looked at him squarely on his face. "Quatre, I have nothing against you and Dorothy. I said congratulations and I meant it."  
  
"Oh," said Quatre, feeling surprisingly disappointed though he didn't know the reason why.  
  
"Don't mind Heero as much, Quatre," said a new voice. An arm draped over his shoulder. "Heero's just being a party-pooper," Duo added, good- naturedly. "Knowing our friend here, he only has the battlefield in his head."  
  
"True," Quatre admitted, pushing away the strange thoughts in his mind.  
  
"In that case," said Heero, giving Duo his empty glass. "I better go and think about the battle some more. It seems like it's the only thing in my head," he said, sarcastically. He gave Quatre a nod and walked out of the room.  
  
Duo winked at Quatre, glad that he's still able to irritate Heero. "See? Told ya."  
  
@@  
  
Kylie watched her fellow clones going over the simulation again. The simulation was built to give the clones as much practice in combat scenes as well as to be equals in skills with their fellow originals, if not better. The simulation had been enhanced with the Zero system, to make them more attune to its patterns so they could use the deadly system to fight the Gundams. Kylie didn't know how Winteridge or Instructor D got a hold of the system but she was satisfied with her progress. In comparison to her original self, she topped her skills far enough.  
  
However that day, Kylie was having enough of the system. Refusing her companions' invitation on a competition, Kylie chose to watch them practice instead. She was bored with sitting around. She could sense that the others were feeling the same thing too but somehow, hers was even more intense.  
  
Sighing, Kylie left the simulation room and made her way slowly along the corridor. She didn't see where she was going until she found herself facing cold, steel bars. It was then she realized that she had gone to the brig.  
  
Studying the cell, Kylie shook her head. 'No, this isn't the right one,' she told herself. 'It was another place.' Absent-mindedly, she took out her hand from her pocket. In her hand, she saw a syringe. Not just any ordinary syringe, but the same syringe that she had used to put Quatre Winner to sleep.  
  
Kylie wondered about her strange feelings. She didn't know why but she had been thinking a lot about Winner lately. Whether because she missed having him to express her cruelty on or because she was simply bored, she didn't know. Her only wish then was that they still had Winner and that she could make regular 'visits' to that weak blond pilot. She had to admit that she was beginning to like having the Sandrock pilot with her. He made her life more... interesting.  
  
Keeping the syringe back into her pocket, Kylie extinguished the feelings inside. She smiled at the cell, thinking of the times and place which she could no longer go to. Thinking of the person that she would no longer torment.  
  
'Don't be too comfy, Winner,' she thought. 'I'm still here to make your life a living hell, be it in a cell or the battlefield.'  
  
@@  
  
"Have something for me?" Heero asked as soon as the connection was made.  
  
"Yeah, maybe a very good news for once," she answered, her face calm and relaxed. She was betraying no excitement.  
  
"You've found where Winteridge is?"  
  
Sara shook her dark hair. "No, even better." She studied him carefully. "I know where he's going to be next."  
  
That certainly brought Heero's attention. He leaned forward. "Where?" he said, his tone serious and business-like.  
  
Sara matched his tone perfectly. "Outpost B Point T16, sending the coordinates to you now." As soon as she said that, Heero heard the hum of the database receiving data. He waited until it was all in before studying them.  
  
"That's only a small station."  
  
"Small but somehow useful," she answered. "Winteridge has something there that he needs to check up himself."  
  
"How did you acquire this information?" As usual, Heero was tempted to verify the information before diving into action, no matter how reliable the source was. It was out of pure habit as well as training. The only information Heero would trust was the one he himself uncovered.  
  
Sara shrugged, nonchalantly. "The director of the station suddenly ordered quite an extensive number of specially brewed European wine."  
  
"Meaning?"  
  
"It's Winteridge's favorite wine."  
  
Heero was tempted to ask how she knew that but found himself wasting time if he did. He had trusted the girl before and the girl had time and time again saved him from danger. And the information she gave him was usually precise and correct. So, there was no reason for him to doubt her knowledge. He knew that Sara, of all people, should've known a thing or two about Winteridge.  
  
"Designated time of action, Monday evening 14th day of May," she continued, nonchalantly.  
  
"Roger that," said Heero, acknowledging the unspoken mission.  
  
@@  
  
"You've found Winteridge?" Duo repeated in disbelief. "What are we waiting for then?" Being cooped up in the dull Preventers' headquarters too long made the Deathscythe pilot all out for a little action.  
  
Quatre put up a hand to stop his friend. "First things first, we must plan our attack carefully," he reminded the braid-haired boy. "This is our biggest break yet and we need to do this perfectly." Since he was pronounced well enough to be an active Gundam member, his excitement almost matched Duo's. His sister Erea had returned to their home to be with his other sisters. It took him a lot to convince her to leave but Quatre was doubtful that he wanted her there once the firework started. And the Preventers had very capable physician such as Dr. Tricia Farrell-Burnett, who was Erea's classmate back in medical school.  
  
Now free from his sister's overprotective looks plus the good news, Quatre felt as if he's ready to bring Duke Winteridge down.  
  
"Quatre's right," said Heero, the look that he threw Duo was both disapproving and reprimanding for his lack of patience.  
  
"And again, I will ask you this," interrupted a cool voice. "How can we be sure this source of yours is trustworthy? Or even if his information is reliable?"  
  
Duo scowled at Heero but turned his head towards Lady Une, accusingly. "Who invited the alien?" he asked, thumbing Mylin, who was standing all alone near the door. He was getting quite annoyed with the alien's presence in the base, seeing that she didn't seem to be assisting them much except for questioning every bit of information they discovered. If he had his own way, Duo would've politely requested the Telrhani to leave, maybe even escorting her out to the nearest airlock. But Lady Une insisted that she stayed. And there was nothing he could do about that.  
  
Heero met her gaze evenly. "I trust him more than I trust you." He too found her presence disturbing. But Mylin knew much of their plans and since her loyalty was still questionable, he wasn't willing to let her loose now.  
  
"Ah, I see," said Mylin, her eyes showed something that she finally understood. Something that Heero was keeping from them. "In that case, I will say nothing in that matter in the future." She quieted without explaining her meaning. However, her eyes watched Heero carefully.  
  
Trowa cleared his throat, drawing their attention to him. "If we've all finished our meaningless banter..." This he said while looking at Duo. "... I think Quatre has something to say about our next attack," he continued.  
  
They turned their attention back to Quatre. Used to being at the center of attention, he didn't falter. Instead, Quatre placed the folder Heero brought to them on the desk and cleared his throat. "The way I see it a surprise attack is the most appropriate one. It's how we're going to do it is my main concern."  
  
"I take it you already have a plan?" Heero inquired, drawing closer to his friend.  
  
Quatre nodded, a stray blond hair fell onto his eyes. "Based on the schematics your source sent you, I've discovered a weakness in the outpost's security system. We may be able to send in ground troop as well," he said, looking at Lady Une in reassurance.  
  
All of them, including Mylin drew closer. Quatre waited until they were all ready and showed them the schematics. "Here," he pointed at a spot. "This is what we're going to do."  
  
TO BE CONTINUED...  
  
A/N: There you go. A little about Sara's background. Don't worry, her story will be revealed soon. You have my word ^_^ 


	12. Secrets

DISCLAIMER: Gundam Wing belonged to Sunrise and co. I'm not making any profits out of this, so don't sue. Oh, those you think you've never heard before belong to me. And feedback is very welcome, people!âº  
  
TIMELINE: The story takes place after Survival of the Fittest, I'd say almost two years.  
  
NOTE: To avoid confusion, I have italic-and-bold the clones' name. Hopefully, that could help you understand who's who.  
  
SHATTERED MIRRORS XI: SECRETS.  
  
By Arayelle Lynn.  
  
He waited patiently as the shuttle docked. A few minutes later, the pilot came over. "We're secured, Your Excellency," he informed. Duke Winteridge nodded in acknowledgement and rose from his seat. He took a moment to flex his stiff muscles, acquired from the long journey.  
  
"Looks like we have a grand welcoming committee," his companion said, looking out the window.  
  
"Don't tell me you're feeling overwhelmed by the attention, my boy. I thought you rather enjoyed that when you're playing the real Quatre Winner."  
  
Quatre-clone snorted. "That was before my cover's blown. Now, who knows what kind of people standing in the crowd? Who knows if the Preventers have sent their agent to eliminate us while we're being unwittingly surrounded by the procession?"  
  
"Peace, my boy," said the duke, putting a hand on the blonde's shoulder. "We cannot all be paranoid at this coming moment of our triumph." He looked out the window as well. "In order to fully succeed, we must insert trust to those working for us. Else, we'll all fall apart."  
  
"Maybe you're right," said the clone, grudgingly. He was still dissatisfied.  
  
"Besides, this visit is strictly top secret," Winteridge continued. "There's no way the Preventers or the Gundams could've known that we're here."  
  
That managed to ease the clone a little. He nodded and took his place beside the aristocrat. Winteridge, in his part, smiled a little. It had taken him quite an argument with his loyal clones to let him leave their hideout, unprotected. They had all insisted to come along but he wanted to move fast and in small number. Aside that, he was confident that he would be safe.  
  
However his old friend, the trainer of the clones known as Instructor D, managed to convince him to bring along Quatre for the ride. Just in case.  
  
As he walked towards the exit, Winteridge smiled at his friend's caution. But he's a man of great intelligence so, he understood his friend's and his children's concerns very well. If the situation had been reversed, he would've advised the same thing. 'Plus, it never hurts to be prepared. After all, the Gundam pilots are good at catching their foes unprepared,' he thought.  
  
@@  
  
"All in position," the real Quatre Winner heard Noin's voice over the comm. He acknowledged her report with a short answer. Now, silence shrouded over them as they waited for his command. Sitting nervously and yet comfortably, Quatre counted the seconds. This was his first comeback for action and he wanted to do it right. So, while waiting for the perfect time to strike, he mulled over the plan.  
  
The plan was simple. The Gundams will launch an all-out assault on the outpost, providing Noin with enough distraction to board the secret base. This time, the pressure would be on the Preventers as they're the ones who'll have to penetrate and secure the outpost from the inside. Not being sure that the clones would be there, Quatre decided that the Gundams would be more useful out in space, so they could prevent Winteridge from escaping.  
  
And once they had him in custody, they would deal with the clones and end the conflict before another war broke and more lives lost. 'And then we could finally concentrate on rescuing the Telrhani prisoners,' he finished his thoughts.  
  
"Hey, you okay?" a familiar voice sounded, breaking his thoughts.  
  
"Fine, Duo," he replied. He quickly put his whole attention on the coming battle.  
  
"Hey, don't sweat it. The sooner we end this, the sooner you and Dorothy could get married," said the ever-jovial Deathscythe pilot.  
  
Quatre blushed, remembering his fiancé, who's given the duty to plan the wedding. Then shaking his away his embarrassment, he returned his gaze on the outpost. Suddenly, his instinct kicked in as he found himself saying, "Alright, guys. Let's mount our attack."  
  
"Yee... haaw..." Duo yelled over the comm.  
  
@@  
  
"...let's mount our attack," she heard the leader of the Gundams said, over the channel that she tapped into. It was followed by a howl she identified as Duo Maxwell. As soon as the battle started, Sara found herself listening intently. Though unable to see the battle, she was keen to know what was transpiring up there in space.  
  
And as she listened on, her hand unconsciously strayed on Heero's dog, which was barking his support. Glancing at him, she rubbed the silver fur. "Yes, I understand, boy. He'll be fine. They'll all be alright," she said, reassuringly. However, she didn't lose her grip on the dog's collar as both of them waited in deep anticipation.  
  
@@  
  
The sirens blared as Winteridge halted in midstep. He exchanged a glance with Governor Creston, the director of the station. "We're under attack," Quatre answered the unspoken question. He turned to the governor, accusingly. "I thought you said the location of the base is secured."  
  
"B... but how," he stuttered, taken completely by surprise.  
  
However, Duke Winteridge calmly studied his clone. "You have my permission to go," he said, fully understand the look that the boy was giving him. Quatre nodded. Then, looking around the storage of newly developed mobile suits, he spotted the one he liked and leapt onto it.  
  
Winteridge watched his first and new mobile suit moved to enter its first battlefield. He found himself, surprisingly considering the situation, marveling at its design. And when his mobile suit joined in the battle, he found himself also marveling at the resourcefulness of the real Gundam pilots.  
  
'How could've they found me out?'  
  
@@  
  
She was pacing in the common room when she first heard the running footsteps. When the door opened, she pounced on the messenger. "What happened?" she hissed, knowing that the dark feeling that had been consuming her the whole day must be conveying something.  
  
Behind her, the other restless clones gave their full attention to the disturbed communication officer. The young man was breathless for running the whole way. He shrunk under the hard stares of the clones but was relieved enough to see the mysterious Instructor D among them.  
  
He saluted at the person, he and his comrades considered as, the duke's closest confidante. The man nudged his head. "What news you have for me?" he asked.  
  
"Outpost B Point T16 is under attack. His Excellency is in danger."  
  
Even before he could finish his sentence, the clones rushed past him. Having escaped their hard stares, he calmed but not long enough. He saluted the man and requested for his return to his post, which the man generously granted.  
  
@@  
  
The battle was going exactly as Quatre had planned. While they were keeping the outpost's defense troops busy, Noin's men were approaching the outpost undetected. Heero silently congratulated his blond friend. His plan to disguise this attack as one of the Gundams' usual raid made the occupants unaware of the Preventers attacking from inside until it was too late.  
  
Suddenly, something moved swiftly from the corner of his screen. His instinct took over him as Heero yanked the throttle to his right as Wing Zero spun out of harms way. His mind racing, he turned towards the thing that attacked him and was started.  
  
Hovering just a few meters away from him was a mobile suit that he did not recognize. It was blue and its outer body was like the one of Tallgeese, though bulkier and more menacing. However, as the database in his cockpit was analyzing, he found that the new mobile suit was suited with high-speed engines that seemed almost impossible considering its head- to-toe firepower and thick armor.  
  
"By the God of Death, what the hell is that?" he heard Duo cursed, as startled as he was.  
  
The other pilots were too busy to acknowledge the newcomer so Heero heard zero comment from them. But what he was more concern about was who was piloting the new mobile suit?  
  
The pilot gave Heero the answer by revealing himself. Heero's grip tightened at the sight of the familiar blond pilot before him. Chastising quietly to himself, he reminded himself that this person was not the same person that came into his mind.  
  
"You will not get through me," said the pilot. Heero heard the real Quatre gasped through the comm. Out there, Sandrock narrowly missed a shot.  
  
Heero recognized a challenge when he saw one. "That remains to be seen."  
  
They battled.  
  
@@  
  
"Don't look, Quatre," he heard Trowa said as Heavyarms purposely put itself in Quatre's view of the fight between Heero and the clone. The silent pilot knew that Quatre could not afford to be distracted at this crucial point of the battle.  
  
Nodding to himself, Quatre blocked the channel that connected him with Heero. He knew that he couldn't handle hearing his voice, though not him saying it, throwing insults at one of his closest friends.  
  
"Thanks, Trowa."  
  
@@  
  
Sara leaned forward as soon as Heero engaged the clone. This was the first battle between Heero and the clones since the rescue of Quatre Winner and she wanted to know every detail of the fight. The last time the clones fought their team, the Gundam pilots had to hold back a little, not wanting to harm the colonists and Winner since they weren't sure if he was safe.  
  
But now with no one that could be harmed in this fight, Sara was sure that Heero would not be holding back. And that made her wanting to experience the whole thing for herself.  
  
@@  
  
Lady Une gripped the edge of the console until her knuckles turned white. The reports came and it was confirmed that a clone was engaged in a battle with Wing Zero. But this time, he was in an unidentified mobile suit.  
  
Around her, agents ran about, some delivering new orders and some running from a database to another. But their objective was the same. Find out what you can on the new mobile suit.  
  
It now occurred to her that Winteridge's had used the outpost as his factory to manufacture new mobile suits. Which was why its operation had been made unknown until now. And which was why he was giving the outpost a personal visit. This marked something as great importance.  
  
It meant that Winteridge was going to war. Seriously speaking.  
  
Silently thanking Heero's mysterious informer, Lady Une watched the whole battle. But she was interrupted when the agent sitting before her swiveled around. "Ma'am, I think you should see this."  
  
Concerned and mostly curious, the head Preventers stepped up. "What is it?"  
  
The agent didn't answer. Instead, he moved a little to let his commander view his screen. After a few seconds, he heard her gasp. "This explains everything!"  
  
"What?" asked Sally, who was watching the whole thing.  
  
Lady Une turned to her assistant. "The new mobile suit is made from gundanium alloy!"  
  
@@  
  
Heero knew a gundanium alloy-made mobile suit when he saw one. And he knew, from his first reading on the suit, that he's battling one right about then. But that wasn't his main concern. No, what makes a Gundam dangerous would be the competence of its pilot. That could determine the supremacy of the Gundam, along with the power of the MS that the pilot is piloting. If any lesser pilot, namely not as trained as he and his friends, piloted a Gundam, the attack would not have made a difference. But if a Gundam is piloted by a competent pilot, as he and his friends were, that would make a whole world of difference.  
  
And Heero found that his opponent was one of those people.  
  
Battling this clone was like battling the Telrhani warriors all over again. Although their mobile suits were equally matched, Heero found himself straining to attack and defend. The clone was quick and his attacks were strategically well planned, despite of the massive size of his mobile suit. But that wasn't the only thing that got Heero worried.  
  
'Are the other clones as well-trained as this one?' He found himself wondering. 'Or are they even better?' He was aware that in his own team, Quatre was the weakest pilot of all of them. That the blond pilot's specialty had been that his strategic and well-thought tactics were the ones that put him on top of things. It wasn't that Quatre was less trained, it's just that his reluctance to kill or hurt his opponents made him held himself back. And even more after his insanity episode years ago. That's why Quatre had always refrained himself from training to kill.  
  
But this, Heero found himself fighting the Quatre that held nothing back! His skills seemed flawless and he was even more dangerous since he had great talents in tactics. 'If this Quatre is the weaker one in the clones' team, I wonder how dangerous the skills of my clone.'  
  
'Get a grip, Heero,' he furiously chastised himself. He knew that that was no time to be worrying about who's the better pilot. His mission was already set and that was...  
  
"I'll destroy you."  
  
@@  
  
"Move! Move!" Noin ordered her men as soon as the hatch was open. The Preventer agents poured out like the specially trained soldiers they were. Once the shuttle was clear, Noin stepped out to join the others.  
  
Outside, the firing exchange continued but luckily, it was tipping to their advantage. Firing one of her own hail of bullets, Noin dove behind a crate, next to her second-in-command. "How are we doing?" she asked him, an Agent Fuller.  
  
"Better than we've planned," he answered, flashing her one of his infamous devil-may-care smile. He gestured at the lone figure, who was disarming the guards at an unbelievable speed. "Glad we decided to bring the alien along. She's really handy."  
  
Noin spared a glance at Mylin and was impressed. She grudgingly admitted that it had been wrong for her to protest Mylin's involvement in this mission. Right then, she saw the merit of Lady Une's argument as well as, surprisingly, Wu Fei's recommendation.  
  
As Mylin finished the remaining guard with a spinning kick, Noin jumped from her cover. "Mylin, you and Fuller's team find Duke Winteridge. The rest of you are with me." But before she could even finish her sentence, Mylin was already disappearing into the hallway. Agent Fuller whistled, startled by the energy that the alien displayed.  
  
"Move!" Noin barked, dismayed by his hesitation. Her head stored away a wild guess who will be Fuller's latest chase from that day on. When she was done, she turned to her own team. "Let's find out what Winteridge's holding here that's precious enough to warrant his personal attention."  
  
@@  
  
While the battle continued above, Sara was already busy downloading as much information as she can gather from the outpost's computer system. Since the occupants had been busy with the battle, none of them was taking any notice of an intruder in their system. And seeing that she no longer had to watch where she was poking around in the cyber-world, Sara happily hacked into every classified files they had on their operation.  
  
Plus, it gave her something to do besides worrying.  
  
Beside her, Adin sensed her excitement for the dog never tore his gaze away from her. But Sara was too busy to acknowledge him. Her mind was preoccupied with finding out what Winteridge was hiding in that place. And of course, to detect any surprise that he might install for them. Like explosive devices.  
  
Suddenly, the screen next to her beeped. Frowning, Sara looked at the image where Heero was battling Winner's clone. Nothing there. She looked again, carefully this time, but found nothing. She was about to turn her attention away when suddenly something caught her attention.  
  
Eyes widened, Sara picked up her head gear. "Heero..."  
  
@@  
  
"... look out!" Two voices exclaimed at the same time. Heero veered quickly enough to narrowly miss a blast intended for him. Regaining his bearings once more, he looked at the thing that attacked him.  
  
"Heero, are you alright?" a concerned Quatre asked.  
  
Heero kept his eyes on his attackers. "I'm fine. Thanks for the warning, Quatre," he said, then silently thanking the other person for warning him too. For a moment, the battle seemed to halt. Each pilot was marveling at the three identical new mobile suits before them.  
  
"Impressive, aren't they?" asked the voice of Trowa. From Heavyarms' comm. channel, Heero heard Trowa growled silently. But Heero wasn't about to concern himself with the identity of the pilots. Instead, he was dying to find out what they can do.  
  
"Speechless?" said the voice of Kylie. Heero's knuckles whitened as he heard Quatre drew a surprise breath. "Don't worry, there's more where they came from. All you have to do is sign up." The mobile suit on the left turned to Sandrock "Quatre?"  
  
"Never," he answered, his voice shook a little. Both Heavyarms and Deathscythe flanked Sandrock protectively.  
  
"Too bad," said Quatre-clone. "I was looking forward to have a brother." Then his voice turned chill. "Oh, wait a minute. I changed my mind. There could only be one of us in the winning side." As one, the three began to move.  
  
@@  
  
The two Trowas circled each other. "Nice seeing you again. How's your truck?" asked the clone as a greeting.  
  
Startled, Trowa nearly missed his right arm. "It was you!" he growled, blocking another blow.  
  
"Naturally. I wouldn't let any other do it. I prefer to destroy you myself." He came for another attack in which Trowa deflected expertly. "It must've taken you quite a lot to bounce back after that blast."  
  
Gritting his teeth, Trowa fired his missiles at him. None connected because the clone moved away in time. "Is that the best you can do? I'm disappointed," the clone taunted him, hurtling some explosive bolts at Trowa.  
  
Ignoring him, Trowa avoided the bolts. But that proved to be a ruse. The clone timed his attack perfectly as Trowa spun and then went behind Heavyarms. Caught by surprise, Trowa could only see as the clone slammed into his left side.  
  
Trowa bit back a cry as pain shot up through his left arm. He shook his head to clear the haze only to find that he had lost his gun. Turning to face his clone, Trowa whipped his blade out. "You'll pay for everything that you've done to me."  
  
"Bring it on, brother."  
  
@@  
  
"I really missed having you there, Quatre," said the clone. "Things aren't the same with you not around. You know, to torture."  
  
Suddenly, Deathscythe appeared between her and Sandrock. "No one's going to torture my buddy again, you hear. I'm going to make sure of that," he said, using his best imitation of what he termed as the voice of the God of Death.  
  
Kylie-clone yawned. "Empty threat, Death boy. I can whip your butt from where I'm standing."  
  
Not used of having someone to challenge him, especially someone he never even liked, be it the original or a copy, Duo bristled. "I'll show you what I can do. The God of Death always delivers his sentence."  
  
"Boring," she exchanged. "As it stands, Death boy, I was talking to the Golden boy here," she said, throwing Deathscythe a small black ball. Duo cringed back, expecting an explosion but nothing happen.  
  
"That the best you can do? Throwing duds? I hope you keep the receipt because you seriously need to send that junk back to the manufacture." As he said that, the black ball let out a small explosion and something green enveloped Deathscythe. "What?" was the only thing Duo could say when his Gundam stopped functioning.  
  
"Duo!" Quatre cried, moving to assist his friend but the clone's mobile suit cut his way.  
  
"As I was telling the Death boy, I am talking to you, Winner."  
  
Quatre regarded his enemy. His heart ached at the prospect of fighting her despite of what she had done to him. His heart ached even more when the voice, which had once spoken to him with care and gentleness, was now talking to him with deep hatred and disgust.  
  
"Listen, if you're any like the real Kylie, if you're truly a copy of her, there must be something good within you. I know Kylie. She was full of hate and anger but deep down she was really caring and sympathetic. She fought with her life to maintain this peace and if you've her heart, you could see why all these battles are meaningless." He looked at her, pleadingly. "Please stop this."  
  
"Boring," she said, feigning a yawn. "Let's play tag, shall we?"  
  
@@  
  
"Oh, don't worry so much about your friends. They're surely going to be destroyed," said Quatre-clone.  
  
But that wasn't exactly the thing in his mind. Heero was sure that they could all take care of themselves. What had him worried was the location of the other three absent clones. He had a feeling that they were up to no good.  
  
@@  
  
The moment Noin stepped into the dark room, she knew that she was in the right place. The enemy had been relentless in keeping them away from this place and Noin would like to know why. She barked a command to get the lights on while ordering some of her agents to keep guard. Though, the place was reported secure, Noin weren't about to take any chances.  
  
"Fuller?" she said, over the comm.  
  
"Here. A bit busy, ma'am." From the background, Noin could hear the sound of gunshots.  
  
"Making any progress?"  
  
"Ahh... no," answered the agent, rather embarrassedly. "We've seemed to... uh... lost the alien."  
  
"What!" As soon as she said that, the lights went on. A collective gasp of wonders echoed throughout the room. "God!"  
  
There weren't exactly standing in a room. Instead, they were standing in what it seemed to be a big storage room, with a hundred or so new model of mobile suits!  
  
"Look at these suits!" said the youngest of Noin's team, Neville. He was looking at them as a young man look at a brand new car.  
  
A sound a few feet away drew their attention. Swinging their rifles upward, they saw a figure dropped from the shaft on a wall. It landed on the floor gracefully. "Mylin!" Noin breathed in relief. They lowered their guns. "Aren't you supposed to find Winteridge?"  
  
Mylin's eyes scanned the storage room. "I am. I tracked him here."  
  
"And you've found me," said a voice. All of them turned around, guns whipped at the object of their hunt. Winteridge raised his arms, exposing no armament. "I must congratulate all of you. You've found one of my secrets rather sooner than I expected," he said, calmly.  
  
"My only question is, how did you do it?"  
  
Mylin stepped forward. "None of your business, scum. You're going down."  
  
He raised his right eyebrow, impressed. "A Telrhani. I never thought that the Preventers would stoop any lower as to recruit an enemy into its rank. My decision to retaliate is indeed the correct one."  
  
"And here it will end," said Noin, nodding to her agents to secure the man.  
  
As Neville and Rhonda Crane moved to apprehend their capture, Winteridge put his arms to halt them. "Not so fast, Agent Noin. You may have found out about my mobile suits but what are you willing to sacrifice to keep that secret?"  
  
"What?" Neville and Crane looked at each other uncertainly. Then they looked at Noin who was studying Winteridge carefully. "What did you do?"  
  
@@  
  
"Lady Une, a group of mobile suits are heading towards LaGrange Point 4." The agent turned, her face paled. "It's the new mobile suits!"  
  
Lady Une rushed to her side. "Report!"  
  
"Preliminary readings showed that all of them are mobile dolls except for three!"  
  
Lady Une frowned.  
  
June turned to her. "And they're arming for a full-fledge attack."  
  
@@  
  
"Dang it!" Wu Fei swore.  
  
"Winteridge," Zechs growled the name hatefully.  
  
Heero frowned as the location of the other three missing clones finally dawned on him. Quatre paled. "My sisters! Dorothy!"  
  
"Rats!" Duo slammed his fist on the controls. He was still unable to free himself from the energy web that Kylie-clone threw at him.  
  
Of all, only Trowa remained silent, though his heart skipped a beat. He was studying his opponent intently. "As you can see, brother. Our employer has already planned his escape. You'll never get him."  
  
"Really? I'm not sure how being surrounded by the Preventers could be called an escape. We already have him."  
  
"Oh, I wouldn't say that."  
  
@@  
  
"Call off the attack, now," said Mylin, threateningly.  
  
Winteridge spread his arms. "I can't do that. My boys are hungry for blood."  
  
With a lightning move, Mylin whipped up a knife. "Call them off before I start to skin you alive."  
  
Under any circumstances, Noin would've put an arm to restrain the angry alien. But now, she found herself looking forward to it. Winteridge snorted. "Do you think that you can hurt me? Maybe I should've told you that I've rigged this whole place to blow, you know, to protect my secrets."  
  
The Preventers looked around them nervously. One of them noticed a blinking red light at the far end of the storage. "My god, he's telling the truth!"  
  
"Would I lie?"  
  
Mylin came over to him, menacingly. "Give it up, Winteridge. We already have you."  
  
"Really?" Suddenly Winteridge began to fade. "Think again."  
  
Howling angrily, Mylin threw the knife which stuck into the wall. Noin bit back an insult. "It's a hologram!" stated one of the stunned agents.  
  
"Agent Noin?" said Crane, glancing nervously at the timer.  
  
Suppressing her frustration, Noin forced herself to look at her men. "Order the retreat to Fuller. Let's get out of here before the whole place blows."  
  
@@  
  
The atmosphere was sullen when the assault team finally docked. All of them were forced to watch as the outpost exploded, with Winteridge's valuable secrets with it. The Gundam pilots could barely restrain themselves as they watched the clones took their leave. But none of them dared to move, fearing that Winteridge would order the attack on the colony. And only after an hour later, did Lady Une sounded the all-clear.  
  
Howard watched as the boys exited their Gundams with keen oversight. Wu Fei was in his usual mood, never good. But this time, his foul mood was clearly duplicated by an angry Telrhani. Both stalked away, rather simultaneously. Trowa followed them a little later. He seemed to be favoring his left arm, though Howard wasn't so sure why.  
  
Duo was wearing a scowl on his face. He was still swearing at having to be towed by Heero back to base. Looking at Deathscythe, Howard planned to give it his immediate attention. Then there was Quatre, who was unusually quiet. Howard didn't know what was playing in his mind, having his entire family and his future bride threatened by a copy of someone he once loved and a copy of himself!  
  
Zechs was already making his way towards his wife. Probably wanting to offer her some comfort over the failed mission. The engineer was glad that the two was finally showing their affection openly. It seemed that they all need a little romance around here.  
  
As his gaze strayed on Wing Zero, he discovered that Heero was still in there. The boy's mood was an enigma these days. Nobody knew what to make of Heero's attitude ever since he came back from the dead. Especially since he was withholding something from them, namely his source. But Howard had to remind himself that Heero had always been a mystery. And thinking that Heero needed some time alone, Howard turned his attention to more pressing matters.  
  
@@  
  
"See? What did we tell you? We must've a spy in our camp. The Gundam pilots couldn't have known that you'd be there without some help, Your Excellency," said Kylie-clone, as soon as all of them reconvened in duke's study room.  
  
When Winteridge found out that the other clones were making their way to save him, he had quickly concocted a plan of holding a colony hostage to cover his escape. In reality, he was already leaving the colony when the Preventer agents docked. And he had cleverly stalled the unsuspecting agents by creating an image of himself and luring them to the storage bay.  
  
Though the lost of the outpost was regretted, it was still minimal. Winteridge still had plenty of secret factories, which were still making more mobile suits. And spy or no spy, he knew that the Gundams could never destroy all of them in time before he launched his war.  
  
"Besides, only the eight of us and the governor knew of your visit," Duo-clone pointed out. "There must've been a leak somewhere between us and the governor's."  
  
Winteridge sighed, knowing that their logics connected. He regarded the concern faces of his men. "Alright, you have my permission to pursue this." Then he looked at Duo, Wu Fei, Trowa and Quatre. "But only Heero and Kylie would be handling this." He raised his hand as the boys started to protest. "I need you to supervise the other factories. All things must be prepared for the day when we launch our attack on the Earth Sphere."  
  
Grudgingly, they accepted their mission. Waving them out of the room, he leaned back and closed his eyes. When he opened them again, he was surprised to find Trowa still there. "Yes, Trowa?" he enquired.  
  
Trowa regarded him carefully. "Your Excellency, there is something I want to do before we go to war."  
  
"And that is?"  
  
"I'd like to finish a job."  
  
TO BE CONTINUED... 


	13. Spies

DISCLAIMER: Gundam Wing belonged to Sunrise and co. I'm not making any profits out of this, so don't sue. Oh, those you think you've never heard before belong to me. And feedback is very welcome, people!âº  
  
TIMELINE: The story takes place after Survival of the Fittest, I'd say almost two years.  
  
SHATTERED MIRRORS XII: SPIES.  
  
By Arayelle Lynn.  
  
"I'm sorry it didn't work out," said Sara as Heero was powering down Wing Zero.  
  
"Did you get anything?" he asked without wasting any breath for a greeting.  
  
Sara nodded, all business-like. "I got plenty but I'll need to sort them out before I could give you anything absolute."  
  
Heero nodded. "Do that. I'm going to see what the Preventers have gathered."  
  
"Wait, Heero." She stopped him. She seemed to be debating herself about something. "About the new models..."  
  
"We'll deal with them when the time comes," he interrupted her. He refused to show her his doubts. He had other things to worry about.  
  
She nodded in resignation. Whatever she wanted to tell Heero will have to wait since he seemed to be preoccupied with something. "Alright. See to the others. I'll contact you as soon as I found something."  
  
Then the screen went blank. Heero slumped into his seat and closed his eyes.  
  
  
  
Wu Fei walked into the hangar, having finally calmed himself. He was planning to run a diagnostic on his Gundam. Although the other pilots had learned to trust Howard with their Gundams, Wu Fei still refused the thought of someone other than him, touching Nataku.  
  
He saw the Preventer technicians busy making repairs and Howard supervising all of them. As usual, his Gundam was left alone. Next to it stood Wing Zero. Its cockpit was still closed, which told Wu Fei that the pilot was still in.  
  
As he climbed up his Gundam, he could hear a distinctive sound of a conversation coming from Heero's Gundam. Then, after a few moments of silence, Heero Yuy appeared, looking weary. The perfect soldier was going to leap his way down when suddenly Wu Fei's voice stopped him.  
  
"She called you, didn't she?" he asked, without looking at Heero. He began running his diagnostics.  
  
Heero was silent.  
  
"It's no use hiding the fact that she has been your 'secret source'. You know that I know from the beginning."  
  
The serious pilot looked away. He remembered that the Chinese pilot knew about the handicap girl for a long time. There was no use denying it. "She couldn't find anything that could be of help."  
  
"Yet," Wu Fei finished for him. "We both know that she's our best bet."  
  
"True."  
  
"How is she?" Wu Fei asked, catching Heero off guard a little. But he answered anyway.  
  
"The same."  
  
"I see."  
  
  
  
"There you go," said Dr. Farrell-Burnett, displaying the x-ray. She shook her head in dismay and turned to regard her patient. "I'd tell you that you shouldn't be out there but I guess a being Gundam pilot, you're not going to listen to me."  
  
"I take it you have dealt with Gundam pilots before?" her patient said, jumping off the cot.  
  
She pushed him back on. "Or someone close to one." She took his left arm and gently pressing it. She felt his body tensed but his face betrayed no pain, which both impressed and dismayed her all at the same time. "I'm glad you told me about this but I wish that you'd told someone sooner. Why won't you tell Sally about this? I thought she's you Gundam pilots' resident physician."  
  
"Don't want anyone else to know about it," he answered, his voice sounding a little strained.  
  
"Well," she said, examining the x-ray again. "Nothing serious here. The fractures are almost not visible but I wish that you could rest off that arm so it could heal properly. Whatever you went through that got your arm this bad in shape must've been pretty bad."  
  
"Thanks, doctor," he said, deciding that he couldn't hang around in the infirmary for too long. He put on his shirt back, wincing inwardly as his arm throbbed painfully. "I must be going."  
  
Dr. Tricia Farrell-Burnett halted him. She looked into his eyes, intently. "I want you to give me the name of the doctor that treated you and his address." When he started to protest, she frowned at him. "I need it to make sure that you won't lose your arm. Please, if you won't do it for yourself, do it for the people you're protecting, Trowa Barton."  
  
Sighing, he gave her the name and address. Then before he left, she handed him a bottle of pills. He looked at it, questioningly. "Painkillers. In case the pain gets too unbearable," she answered him. Knowing that he couldn't fool her, Trowa accepted her gift and left.  
  
  
  
Trowa almost collided with Heero, who was just turning from another corner. Muttering his apology, Trowa quickly hid the bottle of pills in his pocket. He nodded at Heero's apology before starting to distance himself from the intense pilot.  
  
But he didn't get very far. Heero's voice stopped him five steps later. "I overheard your conversation."  
  
Knowing exactly what conversation Heero was referring to, Trowa cursed himself for supporting Quatre's idea of opening the channel during the battle. He didn't want anyone to know what was going on between him and his double, especially his Gundam companions.  
  
"Want to tell me about it?" Heero asked.  
  
No. That would be the last thing he wanted. This was his business alone.  
  
So instead, he asked Heero a question. "Care to tell me what the ring is all about?"  
  
Instinctively, Heero's third finger, the one with the ring on, started to twitch. But he quickly stopped himself. However, his reaction did not go unnoticed by Trowa, who didn't say anything about his reaction.  
  
And deciding that Trowa had a practically good reason for not telling anyone like he did, Heero dropped the question and walked away.  
  
  
  
Dorothy watched Quatre from afar. The wind blew gently, the trees chimed with the sound of the birds. The sweet smell of flowers filled the air, fresh. And the skies were blue and clear. It was a great spring day, if anyone should ask her opinion. But it was also a solemn one. For this was one of the anniversary days when Quatre would find himself standing in the now all-too-familiar graveyard.  
  
She saw him walked up to one particular grave. There he placed a bouquet of red roses and stood there, his head bowed. And as usual, Dorothy found herself standing respectively far away, granting him the solitude that he needed.  
  
Leaning against a tree, Dorothy unconsciously fiddled with the engagement ring nervously. It had been a surprise to her that Quatre had told her that he wanted to come here. And being the one who accompanied him before, she agreed to travel with him to Earth.  
  
She shook her head. No, it shouldn't have been a surprise to her. Quatre had just made a life changing decision for himself that it would be natural for him to want to be here. Even though that he had told her once that his previous visit would be the last, she knew that he needed to do this. He needed to say good bye.  
  
Since Dorothy will be part of his life from now on, she realized that she must be a part of this even though it disturbed her. So, inhaling a gulpful of air, she began making her way towards him. Each steps strengthened her resolution to be with him.  
  
She was surprised when Quatre acknowledged her "Thanks, Dorothy. I know how this must've made you uncomfortable."  
  
She squeezed his hand, lending him her strength. "I want to be here, Quatre. She has been as much influence in your life as mine," she said, gazing at the tombstone of Kylie Rayden Khushrenada.  
  
"More than you know," he whispered, thinking of his dreams. Then he sighed. "I must say good bye to her one last time because as long as I'm keeping her memory in my heart, I can't fight her clone. I must convince myself that she's really gone."  
  
Keep me alive inside you  
  
'Forgive me. I can't do that any more,' he thought, feeling his heart wrenching at each words.  
  
"Good bye, Kylie," he said, didn't even bother to add the infamous 'I'll love you forever.' To him, she was the thing of the past now.  
  
Then, wiping a single tear that rolled down his cheek, he turned to Dorothy. "Let's go. We have a wedding to plan." Then, hand in hand, they walked away.  
  
  
  
The beeping sound startled her out of her reverie. Turning around, she saw Heero-clone entering the room with a steaming mug in each hand. Swinging her feet off the desk, she placed the papers that she had been reading and took the mug that was extended to her.  
  
"Thanks," she said, taking a small sip. She then returned her attention to the papers lying on the desk. She attempted to read them again before throwing the papers back onto the desk in dismay. "This isn't getting us anywhere. How are we to find one miserable spy among hundreds of our personnel?"  
  
"I thought we agreed to check only those who were transferred with us from the old base," said Heero-clone, picking one up. He read the person's personal information before moving on to another.  
  
Kylie-clone watched him doubtfully. "Yeah, and that narrows us with what? A few hundreds?" She threw her hands up. "I swear when I find our spy, I will make him pay dearly."  
  
"You're just bored with the inactivity, Kylie," Heero-clone expressed his observation. "You're still thinking of that blond Gundam pilot, aren't you?" he asked, there a hint of something else in his voice.  
  
She started to deny it immediately. But then realized that of all clones, this copy of Heero Yuy seemed to be the one who understood her a lot more, which annoyed her sometimes. So, she decided not to say anything. "He's our enemy, partner. There's no use thinking about him that way," he reminded her.  
  
She stared at him, surprised. "That's not what I'm thinking of. I was only wishing that I had him as my punching bag. I feel the need to hit somebody right now."  
  
"So, you won't hesitate in killing him the next time you see him?"  
  
"No." Kylie-clone's response was immediate. "He decides to stand in our way. He has to be eliminated."  
  
He nodded, in satisfaction. "Good. Instructor D has been concerned about you. Now, he'll be glad to know that you still want to achieve our objectives."  
  
"Let's quit talking and get this over with,' said Kylie-clone, reaching for a file. "The sooner we list down the suspects the sooner we can interrogate them and find our spy."  
  
  
  
"Based on what we've gathered, Winteridge has somehow built himself an army of gundanium-plated mobile suits. Enough to take over the ESUN, if permitted," Rhonda Crane gave her report. She had been one of the agents that followed Noin and Mylin into Winteridge's secret base in the outpost.  
  
"So, now we know for sure what the gundanium that he mined had been for," said Neville, also one of the agents responsible for breaking into the outpost.  
  
"Exactly," Crane confirmed. "Thus, making our customary weapons useless against the armory."  
  
"So, he is declaring war on us. With firepower like that," Fuller admonished, turning to Lady Une, who had been listening grimly.  
  
"We have to do something!"  
  
"Maybe design a better weapon."  
  
That was all Heero could take. Ignoring the voices of the Preventer agents, he silently slipped out of the room. If the Preventers couldn't provide him with useful information, he knew someone who could.  
  
  
  
Sara was working out when the comm. blinked. Pushing herself as quickly as she could towards her wheelchair, she reached her workstation after the tenth blinks. Heero's face appeared and she heard a bark from behind her.  
  
"He misses you," was the first thing that came out from her lips. But Heero seemed not in the mood for pleasantries. Instead, he ignored her remark and went straight to the point. "Have you gotten anything yet?"  
  
She sensed the tension in his voice. Bad news. "I take it that the Preventers haven't anything useful on the enemy?" she guessed. There was a moment of hesitation from Heero but he answered her anyway. "No. The agents were a little slow at downloading the files so they didn't have much."  
  
She sighed inwardly. She too hadn't anything useful to inform Heero. The files that she had managed to download from the base had been heavily encrypted and it would take her some time to decrypt all of them.  
  
"Heero, the files are encrypted. I need time to deal with them," she explained. "I'll call once I have something." Then, after a moment of hesitation, Heero broke the connection. Sara settled back in her seat, breathing deeply. On her right, she could hear the whirling sound from the database as it tried to decrypt Winteridge's files. And on her left, the screen was showing the full schematics of Wing Zero, revealing its secrets to her. She had wanted to tell Heero about this before but circumstances weren't on her side.  
  
As she stared at the screen, she suddenly had an idea. Pulling herself upright, Sara swiveled the chair to her right. She tapped a few keys and the screen changed. Twisting her dark hair in a bun, she began to work.  
  
  
  
When Wu Fei stepped into the room, he found that someone else was already on the sparring mat. Standing silently, he watched the Telrhani moved on the mat in an unfamiliar martial art dance. He was deeply impressed by the gracefulness of her movement, which betrayed nothing that akin to her emotions from the battle. He watched her carefully, appreciating the curves on her body and the slickness of her skills.  
  
He didn't even realize that he had been noticed until a pair of dark almond-shaped eyes narrowed on him. "What?" Mylin said, as soon as she had finished her cool down routine. She wiped the sweat on her forehead, seeing his sparring attire. "You can have the mat now."  
  
Shaking himself out from reverie, Wu Fei silently reprimanded himself. Again, the alien managed to catch him off guard. Gathering his wits, he responded to her remark. "Thank you," he said, tearing his gaze away from her. Carefully moving onto the mat, he avoided looking at the alien. A minute later, he was all alone.  
  
  
  
The days grew unbearable to all of the Gundam pilots. Lady Une could sense it clearly in the air. Not that they had shown any sign of agitation, but it was the way they kept on glancing at what lay deep in space that gave them away. And also the fact that Wu Fei and Mylin had been spending more time on the sparring mat told her everything.  
  
Then came the best news they ever had. Heero's secret source found the whereabouts of Winteridge and his clone team. And once more, the Preventer's base was bursting with activity.  
  
Heero had been the first one to reach his Gundam. When Sara contacted him about finding out Winteridge's hideout, he had wanted to rush there himself. But he held himself back as he reminded himself that he's no longer working alone. That he had a team of Gundam pilots with him.  
  
He remembered all too well how his reaction was.  
  
"What?" It had been unbelievable. Half of him expected the girl to succeed but the other half doubted her ability to outsmart Winteridge's seemingly ingenious mind.  
  
"Yes," said the girl, her voice calm but there was something else written deep in her eyes. "He's on Jupiter." She didn't waste any time to explain how because she knew that he will figure that out himself. Besides, she knew that he's itching to inform the others of the new development.  
  
"I owe you one," he said, his jaw was set as his fist clenched on his sides.  
  
"Heero, wait!" she said, before he had the chance to break the connection. He stopped, regarding her questioningly. There she hesitated, not knowing the reason for her reaction. "Just be careful, okay," she finally let it out. "Those clones. There's something not right about them."  
  
And he remembered her words even as he ran towards his Gundam. Yes, he had that feeling too. It all started when he faced Quatre's clone in the last battle. He didn't know exactly what but it made him doubted himself sometimes.  
  
'No! Can't afford to lose my focus now,' he reminded himself. 'I have my mission and that is to eliminate my enemy.'  
  
  
  
The attack on the Jupiter mother base had been a surprise but long expected. Due to the ingenuity of the duke and his right hand man, known as Instructor D, the outer post of Jupiter that was placed among the asteroid belt alerted the base of the attack hours before the attack came.  
  
That gave them plenty of time to prepare for their uninvited guests.  
  
Winteridge observed each preparation with a calmness that resonated throughout the colony. Not a single line creased his forehead. Not a single sweat drip from his face. In fact, he was wearing a smile of satisfaction as if congratulating the Preventer's job well done. And just looking at him told the colonists that they're going to win this round.  
  
Of course, his clones were dying to return to the battlefield. And he had permitted all but Heero-clone and Kylie-clone, who were overseeing the suspicion of a spy among his personnel. Now, he turned his gaze to his clones as they prepped their mobile suits to lead the battle. A sick smile touched his lips as a thought came into mind.  
  
'You may have found me but you're in for a big surprise.'  
  
  
  
"They knew we're coming!" Duo admonished, seeing the blinking swarm of dots before his eyes. They were just exiting the asteroid belt.  
  
"All the better," he heard Heero snarled. Then, Wing Zero broke formation and sped up to meet the incoming enemy.  
  
"Heero!" Quatre called out. "We must follow the plan." But his words fell on death ears as Heero, being the only one who rarely follow anyone's order but his own, engaged his first enemy's suit.  
  
Suddenly, Heavyarms sped up. "Sorry, Quatre. I have some unfinished business to attend to," he said, before his companion could stop him. The other three pilots could only watch their two friends launched the assault.  
  
"Well, why are we standing here for?" asked Zechs, in Epyon. "Let's destroy these traitors."  
  
  
  
Sara always hated being helpless. But right then, the feeling was too much to bear. She wondered how the battle went, trying to quench the uneasy feeling that had been plaguing deep in her mind. She didn't know why she had expressed her uneasiness to Heero but hoped it was just her being pathetically weak.  
  
"Damn! I hate this." She slammed her fist on the desk, startling Adin who was dog-napping. The dog shook off his sleep and made his way towards her. Sensing her distress, he nudged her hand with his cool snout, whining sympathetically.  
  
She didn't even register that gesture. Instead, she pulled her hand back and started to run her fingers on the keyboard. She switched off the battle before her, not wanting to see it anymore, and started making herself useful.  
  
  
  
This was it. The battle was on.  
  
Standing in the middle of the command post of the Preventers headquarters, Lady Une oversaw the battle from afar. Secretly, she envied Noin for having the chance to meet the enemy head-on while she was stuck in that room, worrying about what the enemy's next move. Not that she loved the bloodshed, but seeing Noin going into the battlefield made her wished that Treize was there and that it was both of them who were leading the troops now.  
  
'No, not troops. Agents." She corrected herself, reminding herself that there was no more OZ or the Alliance. 'Just Preventers.'  
  
However, Lady Une couldn't doubt the importance of her presence there. She may have been one of the best mobile suit pilots in OZ years ago, but she now she found out that her best forte would be serving as the commander.  
  
And she knew that she's doing it well.  
  
"They're engaged," a voice interrupted her thoughts. Forcing her attention completely on the battle, Lady Une turned to June, the communication officer. "Good. Keep me inform every five minutes," she said, before turning to her tactical officer, Hudson.  
  
  
  
"We meet again," said Quatre-clone.  
  
"I'll eliminate you," Heero replied. "Then I'll personally take out your superior officer."  
  
The clone smirked. "Really?" his eyes flashed something that Heero couldn't decipher. "Let's see how you fare, shall we?"  
  
  
  
Trowa found his clone waiting for him. He gripped his throttle even tighter as he looked at the enemy that had brought him so much pain. It was ironic for a rock-steady pilot like him to be hurt by none other than himself.  
  
"You and I have some unfinished business," he said, or rather growled, he couldn't tell. Strange emotions seemed to well up inside him.  
  
"Well, I'm here. Let's see what you can do."  
  
"No holding back. It must end today."  
  
The clone snorted. "No holding back."  
  
  
  
Duo and Quatre teamed up to face Duo's clone. Both had been completely taken by surprise. And judging from the way their companions were faring, they were surprise by the ferocious skills of the clones too. Though both had teamed up, facing a foe that was more or less equally skilled as them, they later found out that it wasn't so. The clones were obviously more skilled than they were!  
  
Duo grunted when he was hit and heard Quatre gasped when a plasma beam hit closer to home. Duo-clone moved like lightning, attacking Deathscythe rapidly. He read Duo's moves before he even thought about it. He landed his attack strategically as to cripple Duo. It was logical that he was able to predict Duo moves since they're biologically connected but he managed to block Quatre's attack just as well. In fact, he was the only one who's attacking while the Gundams were now reduced to defending themselves. It seemed as if the tide of the war belonged to Winteridge.  
  
And the opposite party was paying the price.  
  
  
  
Zechs growled in frustration. He was getting nowhere in defeating the enemy. Although Wu Fei Chang had pointedly ordered that he will fight his clone alone, a minute later, Altron very nearly lost its head, thanks to Zechs' quick save. After studying the clone's fighting prowess, Zechs learned that they're in trouble. Obviously, the Gundams weren't ready to face the clones, especially since the clones were finally showing their real skills.  
  
So, he ignored Wu Fei's angry words and fought the clone, hoping that by combining their strengths, they would be able to defeat him. But he later found himself fighting for his own survival.  
  
All the time, he wished that he knew how his wife was faring.  
  
  
  
Noin bit back a tear when another of her agents winked out from existence. It was the most miserable battle she had ever been. At first she couldn't understand why. Their plan had been carefully devised and revised until she, Lady Une and the Gundam pilots couldn't think of a flaw. It was suppose to be the most cleverly set up strategy.  
  
So, how come their side was failing miserably?  
  
Maybe the enemy was stronger, or well-prepared. Maybe it was the way the Gundam pilots were losing to the clones that affected her men's morale. But one thing she was certain, was that she should've anticipate the attack from the rear. She should've known that Winteridge would have some hidden base in the asteroids. And they were the ones that should be taken offline first before bringing the fight to Winteridge.  
  
But how could the clones defeating the Gundams where they all had the same genetic make up?  
  
  
  
Lady Une held her breath as she counted their losses. Where before the battle she had sent over a hundred men, there was only fifty left, including the pilots. She couldn't figure out where they had done wrong. Everyone in the room had been shocked when June relayed the news that the Gundams were losing. And from that moment on, things began to go downfall. It was obvious that they were not going to win this round. And the Gundams included.  
  
"Patch me through Noin, immediately!"  
  
  
  
"Aarghh!!!!" Quatre screamed in pain as Sandrock's arm was being pulled off from its socket. Then, there was an explosion that threw the blond pilot into the screen head on.  
  
"Quatre!" Duo yelled, seeing Sandrock dead in space. Before he could make his move to protect his friend, Duo felt a huge fist connected on Deathscythe's torso as the wind got knocked out of him. Then, there were other blows that he barely able to deflect due to his spinning head.  
  
After what seemed like an eternity of pain, Duo felt the blows stopped. But he was too slow to do anything. He felt something grabbed Deathscythe by the throat in a crushing grip. "You're so pathetically weak that it ashamed me to be your clone," he heard his clone said. "You're lucky that my suit isn't based on your Gundams."  
  
Then, it raised its gleaming blade, ready to run it through Deathscythe's torso, where the cockpit was.  
  
  
  
Zechs fought, and at the same time tried to protect Wu Fei. The Chinese pilot was fighting like a possessed man. He neither cared about the wounds he had sustained during the fight nor anyone else that were fighting in the battle. His main attention was solely on his clone. So, Zechs opted to destroy all the enemy mobile dolls that came to them and at the same time, buy Wu Fei enough time for a breather, even when the Chinese pilot wasn't being grateful.  
  
But he didn't know how long he could take the beating. He was already running low on fuel as well as energy. In fact, he was fighting purely on his will. One thing he did knew right then was that they were not going to win this war!  
  
  
  
Heero tried shaking off the stars that appeared before his eyes. His chest was heaving as the air was getting thinner every second. During the fight, he had severely damaged his air supply thanks to the clone's rockets. But still, Heero wasn't willing to give up. If he can't defeat Quatre's clone, how can he face his own?  
  
"What's the matter?" the clone goaded him. "Looks like you're no longer the perfect soldier, huh? Well, maybe you should surrender the Wing Zero to us. Only those who are superior are worthy of it."  
  
At that, anger boiled inside Heero. He lunged but was easily deflected by the enemy. Then Heero's world exploded again as the clone hit Wing Zero at the back. "Wrong move again, Heero. Now, you will pay it with your life."  
  
  
  
"Looks like it's the end for your friends," said Trowa's clone. Trowa glanced at how the others were faring before realizing his mistake. Acting out of pure instinct, he jinked the throttle to the left, narrowly missing the clone's beam saber by an inch.  
  
Suddenly, pain shot up through his left arm, blinding Trowa for a moment. He barely heard himself scream in pain as he tried to keep himself conscious. His hold wavered as he almost released his hold on the machine gun. But his right hand was quick to move as it helped him to regain his control. For a moment, he gritted his teeth as realization hit him.  
  
'The painkiller has worn off!'  
  
He cursed himself. He should've taken four pills instead of three. But Dr. Farrell-Burnett had advised him against it. Neither of them knew what would happen if he took more than he should when he'll be under the influence of the Zero System.  
  
Speaking of the Zero System, why can't they defeat this enemy with the system on? Why can't they predict every move that the clones were going to make? Was the clones too good or had they developed something even more advance than the system itself? Was the Zero System no longer relevant in this war?  
  
Or had they all gone weak?  
  
It could be true. Maybe after the Barton crisis, when the Gundam pilots had finally found their places in society, they had somehow grown weak. Maybe that was why they could barely hold themselves against the Telrhani invasion. Maybe that was why they were forced to see one of their former enemies made the ultimate decision to save mankind. Maybe they didn't even have the strength to make the same decision that Treize's ward had chosen two years ago.  
  
"Looks like I have won, brother," said the clone, readying himself for the final blow. "As I said, there can only be one Trowa Barton."  
  
Suddenly, Trowa's right hand slackened their hold on his left arm. His eyes dimmed as his head began to swim. However, his strength returned mysteriously as he pushed away the pain to the back of his mind. When he looked up, his green eyes were icy.  
  
"You're right. There is only one Trowa Barton and I am not him," he said, his voice made the clone shivered for a moment. "I am No Name."  
  
TO BE CONTINUED...  
  
Writer's note: Phew! Trowa's pretty intense out there, wasn't he? FYI, this series will probably focus more on Trowa than anyone else. Why? Because I think he's one of the characters that I've been neglected since I began writing a GW fiction. So, I kinda owe Trowa that.  
  
Another cliffhanger, heh! Sorry, can't help myself. Trowa's being too intense that he's frying my brain! But never fear, this part of story is nearing its end. Just give me two or four more chapters, ok? 


	14. Wounded

DISCLAIMER: Gundam Wing belonged to Sunrise and co. I'm not making any profits out of this, so don't sue. Oh, those you think you've never heard before belong to me. And feedback is very welcome, people! âº  
  
TIMELINE: The story takes place after Survival of the Fittest, I'd say almost two years.  
  
NOTE: To avoid confusion, I have italic-and-bold the clones' name. Hopefully, that could help you understand who's who.  
  
SHATTERED MIRRORS XIII: WOUNDED.  
  
By Arayelle Lynn.  
  
Kylie threw down the files on the table, spilling its content. Then, with a growl, she shoved all of them off the table and onto the floor. Heero watched his companion silently. "This is a waste of time!" the cloned girl declared. "We could've been out there kicking the Gundams' butt instead of running a wild goose chase."  
  
"But at least we know now that we didn't have any spy among us," he said, trying to lighten the mood. He himself understood her feelings. They could've been with their teammates and destroy the Gundams once and for all but both of them were stuck in the secret base, interrogating the suspects. In the end, none of the suspects turned up to be their man and that blew Kylie's head off. And maybe his too, if Instructor D hadn't stop him from blowing off a suspect's head in his frustration.  
  
In real truth, none of them worry about the battle as much. They knew that they could win easily. They knew it from the bottom of their souls. The Gundam pilots were the thing of the past and they're the future. No, the only thing that they were worrying about was not getting their chances against a worthy enemy such as the Gundams.  
  
"Yeah well, look where it led us?" Kylie was saying, pouting before the database. "A dead end. We're not even close to finding our spy."  
  
"Perhaps maybe there is no spy," Heero pointed out. For a moment, there was silence.  
  
Kylie shook her head. "No. There must be a spy. Or else, how could the Gundam pilots know where we placed the explosives on L4? How could they know about our mines in the asteroids? How could they have known that His Excellency would be at the factory in Point T16? How could they find out where we are now?" She balled her fist. "No, there is more to this than meets the eye."  
  
Heero had to admit that there was something in what she had just said. And for a moment, they both sat, staring at the screen where the names of their possible-now-proved-improbable suspects were displayed. They stayed like that for a while, their hearts yearning to be up there in the battlefield with their friends.  
  
Suddenly, Heero's mind opened up to him as a new possibility entered his mind. A look exchanged with his companion told him that she had reached the same conclusion too. Then without wasting any time, they began to access the database.  
  
  
  
"Retreat!" Noin's voice ran over the channel, which caused a wave of relief among the Preventer agents but cut a deep humiliation among the Gundam pilots' spirits. But at the sound of that, Duo jabbed his fist into his clone, forcing him to release his hold on Deathscythe. Then, he quickly made his way to Quatre to tend to him.  
  
Not far from him, Zechs was pulling the agitated Altron, with half of its leg missing. Noin was towing Wing Zero, which wasn't moving at all. And several Preventers were helping Trowa to break away from his clone, though the latter didn't seem to want to leave.  
  
"Retreat, Barton! That's an order," Lady Une's voice was clear as if she was with them. Though her voice was cold and demanding, they could hear a hint of defeat.  
  
"Leave me!" Trowa was saying. "I'm finishing this."  
  
"Trowa!"  
  
"My name is not Trowa," they heard him growl. "I am No Name."  
  
Duo frowned, looking at Heavyarms as he flew by. That didn't sound like the Trowa he knew. And that further mystified him. He wondered if there was more going on between Trowa and his clone.  
  
"Quatre's hurt, Trowa. You must see to him as you promised Dorothy!" Suddenly a strange voice came from the Wing Zero. Again, Duo was mystified. This time, it was by the sound of Heero's voice. It was something that he had never heard before. Was it defeat?  
  
Whatever it was, it stopped Trowa. Snarling, Heavyarms retreated and rejoined his fellow Gundam counterparts. Wordlessly, he took Sandrock in his arms and sped away into the darkness.  
  
  
  
It was two days after the humiliating defeat of the Preventers. Since then, things weren't improving as much. An hour after the Preventer force retreated from Jupiter, Duke Kent Winteridge had made a public announcement, bragging his victory over the Gundams and warning the ESUN not to take 'such brash actions' anymore.  
  
Since then, things started to slide down. Lady Une found herself drowning with phone calls from the representatives, demanding to know how they were defeated and some, of course, reprimanding her actions against Winteridge.  
  
But lack of supports and useless enquiries weren't her main problems. She was more concerned over the morality this defeat was affecting her men. This was by far the most humiliating defeat they had ever had since the agency was formed. Even the Telrhani invasion wasn't like this. Each of her agents was still shocked over their defeat even when they had the Gundams fighting with them.  
  
And of course, the Gundam pilots. She had been watching over them like a mother hen as Treize requested years ago. They worried her the most. The defeat seemed to hit them harder, even she failed to figure out how hard. The look of their faces when they finally docked in the holding bay wrenched her heart. All of them looked haggard and seemed to have aged years older over such a short period of time. All except Heero, who disappeared without a word after the battle. Relena was currently starting a hunt in search for him.  
  
As for Trowa, nobody really knew. She had been very surprised when he had defied Noin's orders back there. Trowa Barton was well-known for his promptness at obeying orders. But this time, he was showing something that really puzzled his friends.  
  
Duo had returned to L2 with Hilde. Like the other Gundam pilots, he barely said a word since his return. His wife was the one who requested his leave to recuperate, which was fine with Lady Une. She was rather concern over the head injury that the Deathscythe pilot sustained during the fight.  
  
Wu Fei had disappeared too but Lady Une found out from Mylin that he was on L5 colony, visiting his ancestors' shrine. According to the alien, Wu Fei seemed to be meditating a lot and that she would be staying with him for a while. But Lady Une could tell that Mylin's term of meditation would include a bloody sparring match at least once a day.  
  
Quatre seemed the only one who handled the situation better. In fact, he was still staying at the base, helping Sally, Noin and Zechs figure out what went wrong. Though he still suffered from a mild concussion, he insisted to help them to keep his mind off the battle. Lady Une was thankful that Dorothy had returned to make sure that Quatre didn't overtax himself.  
  
All these filled her with deep concern. However, Lady Une knew the pilots well enough to know that they would not be put down for long. She knew the strength of these young people because Treize had once described to her about it and she herself had seen it over the years. These people will fight again, with or without the ESUN's consent.  
  
But one thing she couldn't help wondering was how Heero was coping.  
  
  
  
Dr. Farrell-Burnett watched as the boy trashed on the cot, sympathetically. She observed as the physician drew a syringe as the nurses tried to pin the patient down. Though he barely cried out, Tricia Farrell- Burnet could easily guess how much the pain was causing him just by looking into his eyes. She shook her head, helplessly, marveling at the strength the boy carried within himself.  
  
When the drug finally settled in, Trowa Barton finally relaxed. He closed his eyes for a moment, gathering the strength that he had lost while fighting against the pain. He distinctively heard a couple of people talking at the background.  
  
"Good thing... but why here?"  
  
"... no choice... patient's request... see his files..."  
  
"... well... my office... must not go on..."  
  
"... not our decision... many lives at stake..."  
  
"Your job... change his mind..."  
  
Then the voices finally quieted. When Trowa was finally able to open his eyes, Tricia Farrell-Burnett was looking down at him. "Hey," she said, as a greeting. "How do you feel?"  
  
The moment she asked the question, she regretted it. The pain in Trowa's eyes wasn't the pain for his left arm, rather it was the pain from losing the battle. He didn't answer her for a moment. "I'm fine," he rasped, sitting up. "What did he say?" he nodded at the doctor who had once tended him.  
  
Tricia smiled. "The same thing I've been advising you not to do, though his words were much harsher. I guess he still need to experience tending Gundam pilots for years before he could truly understand them." Then her face turned serious. "But I'm inclined to agree with him this time, Trowa. The X-ray showed that the fractures in your bones are not healing at all. They're getting worse. You need to stop using your arm or you could end up losing it."  
  
Trowa looked at her in the eyes. She was startled at the cold determination in them. "You get my medical files and do whatever you can. I'll do whatever it is required of me. The reason why I requested you to bring me here is so that you can get the files."  
  
"So now you're making me your personal physician then?"  
  
"You're the only one I trust with this secret."  
  
She looked at him and then nodded. "What else can I do for you? I can send you to your sister's."  
  
He shook his head. "No. The last thing I need to do is to worry her. Just find me a phone so I could tell her that I am alright."  
  
  
  
It had been days since she had lost contact with Heero and Sara was starting to worry. She had tried hailing the Wing Zero but no one answered her. She considered contacting the Preventers directly, although it meant blowing her cover, but something told her to keep calm. It was a voice from yesterday that she had buried a long time ago. A voice that had kept her going from that fateful day.  
  
But the waiting hurt her as well. She kept on wondering if Heero, the only one she had now, was hurt or captured, unable to contact her. The latter seemed pretty doubtful because from where she last detected Wing Zero, it was far away from Winteridge's territory. And that was a day before her homing beacon she had planted in Wing Zero was destroyed, probably Heero's handiwork. But she couldn't really rule out the thought that Heero was hurt somewhere.  
  
Suddenly, there was a knock at the door. Biting her lips from yelling at the salesperson to get out of her property, she pushed her wheelchair towards the door. Adin was faithfully by her side. She opened the door and gasped.  
  
Standing in the rain, drenching wet was Heero. His face pale and lips blue from the cold. But that wasn't what surprised her. It was the look in his eyes that tore her heart. She reached out, ignoring the wet pellets. "Heero?"  
  
Then, Heero's feet crumpled under him. Sara lunged to catch him before he fell, only to have him burying his head on her lap. In that moment of utter surprise, she saw his shoulders shook and heard a sob escaped his lips.  
  
And for the first time in his life, Heero started to cry.  
  
  
  
Sara studied Heero's face as he slept. The pained weariness was still clearly reflected on his face as his forehead creased at some bad dreams he was having as the result of the previous event. It had shocked her seeing Heero like this. She expected him to be the stronger one between them. But in the end, she realized that all the fights were finally taking their toll on him.  
  
After standing in the rain for a while, Sara had led Heero inside. She prepared some dinner for him, which he barely ate, all the while saying nothing. Then, she led him to his bedroom and waited as he changed his clothes. After that, she pulled him to his bed and tended to his wounds. When she finally looked up, he was already asleep.  
  
All the while, she never asked him what had happened. Nor did she tell him what she had meant to tell him before.  
  
Drawing herself closer, Sara brushed a single strand of hair off his face. Then, she clasped her hand on Heero's and rested her head on them. Her eyes never left him. "Sleep the baby sleep, Heero because when you wake up, the world would still be cruel to you."  
  
  
  
"No, I haven't heard from him, Relena," Noin answered, her voice full of concern. "Not even Quatre know where he might be."  
  
Zechs watched his wife listened to phone intently. "Yes, your brother is alright. He's resting right now," she answered, throwing a glance at him. "We'll inform you when we finally locate Heero, okay?"  
  
Then, she disconnected the line and returned to Zechs. "She's still worried about him, isn't she?" Sally inquired, sitting next to Lady Une. The four of them had decided to discuss some matters in Zechs' apartment.  
  
"Yeah and so am I," said Noin. "In fact, I'm worried about all of them." She then turned to Lady Une. "But that's not why we're here, are we?"  
  
The head of Preventers exhaled. She studied the faces of her most senior officers. These were the people that she had worked with since the Eve War and therefore, she could trust them with the information.  
  
"We have bad news," she began rather bluntly. Although trained to be diplomatic, she always liked being direct and straight to the point. She gave the three a moment to brace themselves. "The ESUN representatives are voting against working with the Gundams in the future conflict."  
  
"What!" Noin rose from her seat. "Are they mentally retarded? Or just plain stupid?"  
  
Lady Une turned to study Zechs. He had his arms supporting his chin and his eyes were closed. Looking at him made her think that he had, in fact, expecting this. "Noin, they have very good reasons for taking that action," he said that finally.  
  
"Zechs?" she trailed off, surprised by his words.  
  
"The Gundams aren't doing any good in solving the conflict. In fact, we seemed to be heating it up. It's only natural that the Earth Sphere considers us a liability rather than an asset. I wouldn't be surprise if some of the representatives think that the conflict started because the Gundams are enemy of Duke Kent Winteridge."  
  
Lady Une nodded. "That's right. In fact, I'm going to be away for a few days to discuss this matter, among other things. And I need Noin and Sally to supervise things up here," she said. The two nodded at the unspoken 'things' she had meant.  
  
"What's the next bad news?" Sally prompted. She could sense that the conversation was far from over.  
  
She hesitated at that. Then decided to tell them. "Some of the colonies have decided to join Winteridge's party, particularly the colony at LaGrange Point 2."  
  
"What! But why?" the three started at the same time.  
  
"Who knows. Maybe the Gundams' defeat had finally triggered the fear of an attack among the colonists. Or maybe, Winteridge has more people working inside each colonies, spreading doubts among the representatives," said Lady Une. "Vice Foreign Minister Darlian is on it as we speak." She turned to Zechs. "Which is where I need you to be. I want you to act as Relena's bodyguard. With Heero gone zero communication on us, we need to make sure that someone is watching over her."  
  
"And Winner?" Zechs inquired.  
  
"We advised him against getting involved," Une answered. "His role as a Gundam pilot may be known by few but we can't risk his presence stirring something even worse. I've managed to convince him to return to his resource satellite and supervise his colony."  
  
"L4 aren't planning to join Winteridge, are they?"  
  
"After what Winteridge done? Thankfully no," she answered. "That was just to make sure Winner gets as much rest as possible. I went as far as asking him to invite Duo Maxwell over considering the state of Maxwell's current resident."  
  
"And Barton?"  
  
At that, Lady Une turned to Sally, who answered. "He... uh... apparently has disappeared. One of my agents saw him leaving in a shuttle with Dr. Farrell."  
  
Puzzled looks answered to her reply. "Where would he have gone to with a doctor?" Noin asked.  
  
Sally could only shrug.  
  
  
  
Heero woke up to the sound of birds chirping. He closed his eyes immediately when a warm glare rammed through his irises. Reaching over to massage his pounding head, his fingers touched something cool and smooth. He removed it and studied it. It was only a damp cloth.  
  
He swung his legs off the bed and made his way out of the room, grabbing a fresh shirt which was hanging by the door. At the kitchen, he smelt something sweet and saw a plateful of pancakes on the table, with a glass of orange juice. Under the table, Adin emerged, looking slightly satisfied with his morning meal. Smiling, Heero patted the dog and be seated. He was just finishing the third pancake when Sara wheeled in.  
  
"You're finally up," she said.  
  
Heero regarded her. She looked as if she hadn't been sleeping well in days. But then, he looked at his reflection by the window and discovered that he looked even worse. "How long was I out?"  
  
Sara refilled his drinks. "Three days. You've been in and out of that fever until it finally broke last night," she reported, leaning in to feel Heero's forehead. "And judging by the amount of food that you're consuming, you're definitely looking better than three days ago."  
  
Heero let the comment passed, while she moved on to clean up Adin's mess. For a moment, there was silence as none of them were good at generating a conversation. Heero could tell by the look that Sara threw him that she was curious about what happened and she could tell from his unspoken lips that he was meaning to ask her what she had found out in the last three days.  
  
In the end, it was Sara who broke the silence.  
  
"If you're feeling a lot better, Heero, perhaps you would want to see the news."  
  
  
  
"They threw us out! I can't believe it!" was the first thing that Duo said once his shuttle landed in the Winner's launch bay. He emerged with Hilde, scowling. The bandage was still wrapped around his head like a turban.  
  
"Nice to see you again, Duo," Quatre greeted merrily, in an attempt to make things cheerful.  
  
"Hey, buddy. How are you holding up?" Duo brightened, his fight with the authority on the L2 colony was forgotten momentarily. He swept his friend in a fierce hug before greeting Dorothy.  
  
"Better," he answered. "Especially now that you two are here."  
  
Then, it was time to get serious. "Have you heard from Trowa yet?"  
  
Quatre nodded his head. "He called me a few days ago. Said he had to get away for a few days. But he'll be joining us later."  
  
"Great! Then we can finally have our very own slumber party."  
  
Quatre grinned at the suggestion then sobered. "I guess it's official then. L2 has joined Winteridge."  
  
Duo's eyes hardened at that. "No. It's official that our Gundams have lost the battle."  
  
"But not the war."  
  
  
  
"So what? You're going to admit defeat? What kind of warrior are you?"  
  
Wu Fei slashed at his opponent, who deflected the blade beautifully. "Look at you. Is this the strength of your people's warriors? If that is so, I'm not at all impressed."  
  
Still, Wu Fei didn't respond to her taunts. Instead, he continued his advances, ignoring the cuts that he had gained from the sparring. His only thought focused on that fateful moment where he was forced to retreat.  
  
'Retreat!' he spat at himself. 'How pathetically weak I am. How can I ever face Nataku again?'  
  
Suddenly, his feet flew under him as his back hit the flood with a thud. Wu Fei scrambled to his feet when suddenly, something cold and sharp nicked his throat, drawing a thin trail of blood. He looked up to meet the angry face of Mylin.  
  
"You're wasting my time here," she spat. "I thought I was retraining a worthy warrior of the dragon clan but instead, I get a whining child!" She pointed her blade between his eyes. "You shamed your ancestors. You shamed your Gundam. And most of all, you shame yourself for only those with the strongest will emerge from his failure and survive it."  
  
"Maybe it is right that Winteridge won. He at least showed great strength." She gave him a final look. "Pathetic loser." With that, she stalked away, leaving Wu Fei to stare after her.  
  
  
  
"It is confirmed that the representative of the stated colony have joined Duke Winteridge but we will not let this destroy the pact that we've made years ago for a united nation. I will personally continue to persuade the representative and the duke to maintain our unity and thus rid of our world of these useless conflicts." Relena was saying. "And at the same time, make sure that we rescue our people from the clutches of the Telrhani Empire."  
  
Then the screen changed to the newscaster as the report ended. From the news, he had learned that everything had fallen apart in just six days. From the ESUN's wavering support on the Gundams' role in maintaining peace to the reports of various colonies joining Winteridge's side. And all the time, he learned that Relena was there, trying hard to maintain peace and the bond from breaking.  
  
'Such great strength,' he thought to himself. He was again deeply impressed by Relena's faith and vigilant, although he could clearly see the weariness in her eyes.  
  
He looked at himself, sitting in the sofa with Adin curled up nicely on his lap. Then, he turned to Sara, who was in the other room, working with the computers. An inspiration hit him. Enough rest, time to work, he told himself.  
  
Then, without another word, he was out of the door. His mission was set.  
  
Back in the computer room, Sara smiled as she heard the door slammed close. There was a whine and she gathered the wolf-dog in her arms. "Don't worry, Adin. Heero's just rediscovered where his greatest strength lies. In the battlefield."  
  
  
  
They looked up as a pair of footsteps approached the room. Winteridge set the documents on the table as the clones propped up on the sofa at the sight of their two excited-looking comrades. Heero and Kylie made a beeline towards the duke.  
  
"We've found our spy," Heero announced.  
  
"And he isn't from the inside," Kylie continued, nodding at the database. "In fact, we traced him back to the Earth."  
  
Understanding what the two had informed him, Winteridge nodded. "Good job." Then, he looked at all of the clones. "You know what to do. Make it look like an accident."  
  
They nodded, accepting their mission. "Consider it done," said Heero.  
  
  
  
As the shuttle left the docking bay, Kylie turned her face towards where she thought L4 colony was. Staring through the unseen, she blocked all thoughts and the conversation among her peers. Her main attention was drawn up to one thing.  
  
Quatre Winner.  
  
Yeah, she knew that he had left MO V. She also knew that he was gathering his team on his resource satellite. Winteridge had spies all over. Even the Preventers had a spy among them; Winteridge had slipped in one just before Trowa was discovered. And he had told them many interesting thing, especially the fact that the Gundam pilots, Heero, Trowa and Wu Fei had all disappeared. The three had been mortified by their defeat.  
  
But she knew that they will be back. She knew it deep in her heart just as she knew that she will be seeing Quatre Winner within her grasp again. And she smiled at the thought. She really missed him, that boy.  
  
Feeling her pocket, her fingers touched the used syringe. "Enjoy your little vacation with that weakling Catalonia, Quatre dear. For soon you will be all mine."  
  
TO BE CONTINUED...  
  
Writer's note: Eep! Could it be that Kylie's clone is in love with Quatre? Will she be the one to replace the dead ex assassin? Yeah, right. Maybe, if she could forget her evil ways. But then again, it'll be interesting to put Quatre into the hot spot to choose between Dorothy and Kylie the clone. You tell me. 


	15. Alive!

DISCLAIMER: Gundam Wing belonged to Sunrise and co. I'm not making any profits out of this, so don't sue. Oh, those you think you've never heard before belong to me. And feedback is very welcome, people!  
  
TIMELINE: The story takes place after Survival of the Fittest, I'd say almost two years.  
  
SHATTERED MIRRORS XIV: ALIVE!  
  
By Arayelle Lynn.  
  
The garden was beautiful. The flowers bloomed and the leaves reflected the early summer sun. Bird chirped as the butterflies displayed their spectacular dance. The scent of summer was fresh and relaxing as she made her way around the garden.  
  
She stopped. A grin cracked on her face as she spotted a handsome man standing not far away. He was bending, examining a rose bush, or rather smelling the roses. A strand of hair fell onto his left eye, making him look years younger than he was. His face was at peace, serene. The cruelty of the world never touched his feature.  
  
He turned when she approached him. He smiled. "Hey, haven't seen you in a while."  
  
"I missed you too," she said, wrapping her arms around him. He smelled so familiar and so right that she was reluctant to let go. However, she did and looked up into his green eyes. "Why won't you let me stay?"  
  
He smiled, while stroking the red petals of a rose. "It's not yet time for you," he told her.  
  
"Yeah," she wrinkled her nose. "You told me that I still need to learn." She looked at him, pleadingly. "But I've already learned the lesson."  
  
"You have not," he said, plucking the rose. He tapped it on her forehead. "You thought that you did but you haven't."  
  
"How will I know if I have?"  
  
"You will know once your heart is ready." He smiled at her, mischievously. "In the meantime, there is another lesson you should learn."  
  
She pouted. "I'm never going to finish this, am I?"  
  
He chuckled, crunching the red rose in his fist. Then, he was suddenly serious, ignoring the trickle of blood that trailed down his fingers, from where the thorns had pricked him. "This one is important. For you to learn the first lesson, you first have to learn mercy."  
  
She blinked, in incomprehension. "Mercy?"  
  
He gazed into her eyes, his face was suddenly sympathetic. "You're not a monster if you could learn mercy."  
  
That brought a gasp from her. She had heard someone else said the similar thing to her.  
  
_'You're not a monster. You're not him.'  
_  
"It's time to go," he said, opening his fist. Where there was a crushed red rose, now there was a blooming white one. He gave her this and started to drift away.  
  
Or rather, she started to drift away.  
  
She opened her mouth, wanting to plead not to be sent back but her voice seemed to have been drowned by a strange silence. She tried to reach out for him but he was already too far away. Running didn't even get her closer to him. Frustrated, she began to scream...  
  
She started. Her heart pounding as cold sweat trickled down her forehead. She looked around the surrounding, warily. After convincing herself that she was safe, she sighed. She leaned back on her seat, rubbing her aching head.  
  
'That dream again,' she thought, shaking away the cobwebs in her mind. 'When will this finally end? Why won't she leave me alone?' She slammed her fist on the table, feeling frustrated.  
  
'Why does she keep haunting me even when she's already dead?'  
  
  
  
Quatre found Duo watching the technicians repair their Gundams. It took them longer because the damage on both Gundams had been extensive. Sandrock had lost its arm and screen as well as its propulsion while Deathscythe had lost one of its wings and the whole computer system was shot. It had been a close call for Duo that he had shut down the Zero system when that happened. Else, his mind would be greatly affected by the system.  
  
Thankfully, Quatre had his colony's support. And his technicians jumped at the first chance of repairing the Gundams. "It's in good hands, Duo," he began, stopping next to his friend. Duo acknowledged him with a glance before looking back at Deathscythe.  
  
"It ought to be. How ever did you get Howard to leave MO V and supervise the repairs here?"  
  
He shrugged. "I didn't. Howard volunteered to help us. He said something about being the only one who isn't a pilot who understands the Gundams more than, what he termed as, any-highly-paid- technicians." Quatre smiled, watching the old man giving instructions below them. "I think that he's growing far more attached to our Gundams than he lets on."  
  
"Probably wishing that he's young enough to have one of these," said Duo, chuckling.  
  
"Yeah, we're very lucky."  
  
"Any words from the others yet?"  
  
Somehow the words caused the mood to dampen. The head of the Winner family took a full minute to answer the question. He shook his head. "Not since Trowa called. And that was six days ago. As for Wu Fei, Lady Une informed me that he somewhere with Mylin. Heero is still uncounted for as far as I know," he replied. His concern for his missing teammates was evident. "Relena are handling all of these pretty well."  
  
"Yeah, she is the strongest, that girl," Duo mused. Then there was a long stretch of silence between the two. Both were thinking of their friends as well as the cause of their current predicament. In the background, a news report echoed, informing them of a possible demand of independence from colony L1. However, none of the two noticed Howard glancing up to them and whispered to one of the technician to switch off the radio. But the damage was done and the two young men sunk further in their sullen mood when they caught the report highlighting the Gundam's failure as the main reason for the breaking of the unification.  
  
"So this is it. All the efforts go down the drain," said Duo, breaking the silence. The sigh that escaped from his friend's lips was heavy and he pitied him. "I'm sorry for you, Quatre. You've done more than your share to keep the space colonies together."  
  
His friend rubbed his chest, as if his heart was wounded by the turn of events. For a second, Quatre looked more like a twelve year old boy than an almost twenty year old young man. A second later, his jaw was set as a look of resolution appeared on his face. "No matter what happen, I will not give up. We've come too far to stop now."  
  
"Maybe," said Duo, feeling the need to tell his friend of his decision. He knew that Quatre would be deeply hurt by this but it was for the best. "I have something to tell you, Quatre."  
  
A pair of blue-green eyes regarded him, curiously.  
  
Duo looked at Deathscythe, suppressing his need to reach for it. "The next time we're going into the battlefield, I'm not piloting Deathscythe anymore." He broke his gaze away from his Gundam, his constant companion. "I'm retiring as a Gundam pilot."  
  
He left his stunned friend there, staring after him.  
  


The sound of running footsteps echoed throughout the hallway. A bolt of light blond hair rushed forward, as technicians and engineers stepped aside to let the owner of the resource satellite passed. Closely following behind him was a bolt of braided hair. Both of them seemed to be making their way towards the landing bay, though there seemed to be no known emergency.  
  
Quatre and Duo panted, as they continued with their mad dash. They ignored all stares and grunts coming from the people they almost hit. Quatre even neglected the greetings he got from his workers. All suitable manners of a leader were forgotten as he set his mind on one thing. He had to get there. He had to be sure.  
  
All day, he had been swamped by phone calls both from the representatives of the ESUN as well as the reporters, like the days before. They all demanded his attention on a similar reason. They wanted to know his action on Winteridge's reign of influence over the space colonists. And Quatre, being the pillar that brought together the space colonies and the liaison between Earth and space, was the right person for them to demand an action from. If only they knew how many actions he had taken...  
  
So, when the good news came, Quatre didn't think twice and abandoned his work entirely. His impromptu reaction was not missed by his sister, Erea, who looked on with a mixture of pity and amusement. Then, she informed Duo Maxwell of the latest development and was awarded with the same impromptu reaction as her brother's.  
  
The two boys stopped at the landing bay, each beholding the space shuttle that had just landed. They waited, one wore the look of impatience and the other was hopeful. But relief was evident in each of their faces.  
  
Then, when the passengers finally exited, their faces brightened. Quatre's eyes moistened.  
  
"Trowa!"  
  
As soon as Trowa heard his name called, he looked at their way. He detached himself from Dr. Farrell-Burnett, determined to get down without her assistance. Though his arm hurt, he wasn't ready to show Quatre how vulnerable he was.  
  
"Trowa!" Quatre ran to him. Trowa found himself smiling, for he had missed his surrogate brother terribly for over seven days. He found himself wondering how and when the blond pilot had attached himself so deeply in his heart.  
  
Blue-green eyes met green ones as they stopped inches from each other. Quatre frowned at Trowa's pale face. "Are you alright?" he asked, deeply concerned. But his question meant for another meaning as well.  
  
Trowa nodded. "Yeah," he lied and at the same time telling the truth. He regarded his friend carefully. He looked tad tired. "And you? How are you?" Also, there's a different meaning behind his question.  
  
"Perfectly well," he answered but Trowa could detect that he was lying as well. There's tension in his eyes.  
  
"Well, don't you guys get all sniffy around me, okay? I can't handle it," said a voice. Duo.  
  
Trowa nodded at him as a greeting. He had heard about L2 and nearly made his way there had Dr. Farrell not stopped him. He was furious and at the same time felt ashamed when the colony decided to join Winteridge's rank. He was ashamed that his failure caused the unification to break.  
  
"Don't," said Quatre. The simple word was enough to stop Trowa from continuing his thoughts. "We all did our best. Winteridge's just caught us at a disadvantage," he continued, though his words seemed to be directed to Duo as well. The Deathscythe pilot shifted his foot, uncomfortably.  
  
However, the two never caught the look Dr. Farrell threw at Trowa.  
  
"Come, Trowa," said Quatre, taking Trowa's injured hand. He nearly stiffened in pain but kept himself in check. He wished that he still had the cast on but if he had, then the others would know what happened to him. So, he gritted his teeth, fully aware of the doctor's watchful gaze and let himself being led out.  
  


"Our preparations are complete. Initiating Operation: ELIMINATION," Winteridge heard his clone, _**Heero**_ reported.  
  
"Good. Make sure you get our target," Instructor D, who was with him in the room, reminded. "There is no room for error. This spy must be eliminated or he'll cause us a lot of damage in the next phase of our plan."  
  
"Roger that. Commencing the operation."  
  


Duo was just finishing telling his story to Trowa when they finally reached Quatre's house. A servant opened the door to let them in. They walked into the living room, waiting eagerly to hear Trowa's story. But Trowa was saved from it because the second they stepped into the living room, they were awarded with a surprise.  
  
Sitting on a sofa drinking tea were Hilde, Dorothy and...  
  
"Heero," Quatre breathed, finally. Trowa raised his left eyebrow in greeting. Duo had his jaw opened.  
  
"Take a picture. It'll last longer," said Heero in response to Duo's shock.  
  
"Buddy!" Duo greeted merrily, finally over his shock. "You're back! Where were ya? You've missed a hell of a great slumber party at the Winner's household."  
  
Heero ignored Duo as the more talkative pilot propped on the sofa next to him. He nodded at Quatre and Trowa in greeting. "Don't ask me where I was," he said. "We're here to talk about our next move, not catching up on past events." At that, he looked pointedly at Duo.  
  
Trowa settled down. He regarded the Wing Zero pilot thoroughly. Like all of them, he didn't seem to be doing very well. There was a strange color on his pale skin, sort of greenish, as if he had been through a high fever. Though Heero was wearing a denim jacket, Trowa could trace the evidence of bandages around his body. That and the awkward way Heero seemed to be slumping on the sofa.  
  
But he too had things he rather kept a secret. And so, Trowa didn't ask any further.  
  
While the other three had seated, only Quatre remained standing. He looked at Heero and then at the stairs nervously. "Quatre?" asked Trowa, concerned.  
  
"I should probably tell you this now, Heero but..." he never had the chance to finish his sentence as a voice interrupted him.  
  
"Heero!"  
  
They turned to see Relena running down the stairs towards Heero. She threw her arms around him, sobbing. Trowa sensed Heero stifled a grunt as his body stiffened. "Where were you? I was so worried!"  
  
Heero was torn between truth and his responsibility. Finally, he detached Relena's hold on him gently. "Relena, please. I'm a married man," he said, deciding that he needed to end all this.  
  
The girl blinked, unable to comprehend what she had just learned. She had suspected it, ever since she saw the gold ring on his finger, but never thought that Heero would come out and confirmed it. The others looked at Heero, again surprised by him.  
  
At first, Relena seemed to be in verge of tears. Then suddenly, her diplomat training kicked in and she was in control. She wiped her tears, blushing. "Oh? I'm sorry," she said, turning away to hide her embarrassment and pain. When she looked back, she was smiling. "Congratulations!"  
  
For a moment, Heero seemed to be taken by surprise but it was gone in a second. He turned to the others. "Come on, we need to discuss our next move."  
  
But they never got the chance for the discussion.  
  


The usual peace of the Preventer's underground headquarters on Earth shattered when the reports came in. It seemed that some unidentified objects were flying in the open airspace, heavily armed and in an attack formation. Michael Grant, the officer in charge, was jarred from his break as he was forced to return to the command center.  
  
"What is it?" he barked. This had better be good. He had just spent the whole night on the phone with Lady Une and the ESUN representatives and he needed that break.  
  
His officer worked fast on her console for a few seconds. Then, she looked up at him. "Air traffic just reported unidentified objects in the airspace. They seemed to be mobile suits!"  
  
Grant eyes widened as the truth set in. "It's an attack!" he stated. "Where are they heading? What's their ETA?"  
  
The female agent glanced at her screen. "North hemisphere area, Arizona. ETA fifteen minutes."  
  
He quickly turned to his comm. officer. "Patch me through MO V and Lady Une quickly!"  
  
"On it, sir."  
  
Then a thought came to him. He turned back towards the female agent. "Run a full scan on the area. Find me a reason why someone would want to attack that place."  
  


"They're fast approaching, ma'am. Pretty soon, they'll engage our agents there," Lady Une heard Agent Grant reported. "But without MS assistance, our agents could be in a rough time."  
  
"And you have not determined who they are yet?"  
  
Grant shook his head. "No, they haven't identified themselves despite of our effort at establishing contact. They could be Duke Winteridge's troops because he's the only one beside us has MS at his disposal."  
  
"Do not make assumptions until we're sure, agent," Lady Une reminded him. "It could also be the Telrhani guerillas or some other enemies that we haven't identified yet."  
  
"Well, I have men working on that, ma'am. Even to find out what could interest the attackers in the designated area. Wait a minute," He paused. "Here's something. Oh, god!"  
  
"What is it?"  
  
"According to this report, there used to be a nuclear research facility in the area."  
  
"But that would mean..."  
  
"They're starting a nuclear war!"  
  
  
  
"What! They're starting a nuclear war?" Quatre jumped on his feet. Before Lady Une could continue, he heard two sets of footsteps running towards the exit. Both Heero and Trowa were off. "We'll be right there," he managed to say, rushing to follow his friend.  
  
He only paused when he felt a tug at his arm. He looked down and met a set of concern blue eyes. "Be careful, okay?" said Dorothy, pleadingly. "I don't want to lose you."  
  
He nodded. "I will, my love."  
  
He started to run again, only to halt after realizing that Duo hadn't move. "Duo?" he enquired.  
  
Duo was looking at him and then at Hilde, who squeezed his arm. She nudged him forward. "Go on, Duo."  
  
Sensing the reluctance in Duo's demeanor, Quatre nodded. "The Maganac stored their MS in hangar fourteen. I'm sure Rasid wouldn't mind you borrow his."  
  
"Hangar fourteen?"  
  
"I'll drop you off there. Come on. We best not let Heero and Trowa waiting."  
  
"Roger that."  
  
  
  
"Trowa," he heard someone called his name as he was entering Heavyarms. He looked down and saw Dr. Farrell's stern look. Then, her face softened as she realized that she could never stop a Gundam pilot. "Be careful, okay?"  
  
He nodded, and then disappeared into the cockpit. A few minutes later, he was off.  
  
  
  
Mylin cut off the transmission and stood. She made her way towards the doorway and stopped. "Well? Aren't you coming?" she asked the other occupant of the room. She turned when she heard no response from him.  
  
To her dismay, Wu Fei never looked up or opened his eyes from his meditation. Instead, he seemed to be ignoring what they had just heard from Sally Po. Ignoring the fact that he had just been called to battle.  
  
"Right, so that's it," said Mylin, balling her fists. "I hope you'll be happy with your decision, weakling."  
  


The database squealed, breaking her train of thoughts. Sara glanced over at the blinking red button, taken by surprise for a moment. The alarm would only be triggered if someone's attacking the area. And the probability of that happening was almost unlikely. Until now.  
  
She wheeled her chair to her right, pushing some buttons. The radar came to life as she detected a dozen unidentified flying objects. Frowning, she tapped the keyboard again, determined to uncover the enemy's identity before taking any further actions.  
  
Then, she heard Adin gave an excited bark as the sky rattled by a gigantic thunder, flying over the farm. Abandoning the database, she joined Adin at the window. The wolf dog was jumping up and down, still barking at the glass. Reaching over, Sara pushed the curtains aside.  
  
And gasped.  
  
'Mobile suit! Here?'  
  
  
  
Heero pressed the speed of the Wing Zero to its full potential. His heart pounded as he tried to push back all possibility at the back of his mind. He wished that he could be a lot faster but the fact that his Gundam was not in its tip top condition made him even more desperate.  
  
'Come on, answer me,' he gritted his teeth.  
  
The person he had been trying to get through finally answered him. "I'm busy, Heero."  
  
"Get out of there, Sara. There's going to be a battle there."  
  
"Know that," she replied, seemingly distracted. She was obviously doing something else. "They're attacking the old nuclear research facility. I managed to identify them, among other things."  
  
"Winteridge, I know."  
  
Sara rolled her eyes. "Bet you didn't know that the facility is still storing old stocks of various nuclear weapons."  
  
He paused. "Then get out of there now!"  
  
"And jeopardize my location? You know better than that."  
  
He cursed. She was right. If she left, someone would connect her to him. Worse yet, her real identity would be compromise. If not by the Preventers, then by Winteridge's clones. Even staying on their communication channel could endanger her.  
  
"Alright. See what you can do at your end. But if things started to heat up..."  
  
"I'll be yesterday's history, Heero." She looked at him, sadly. "You know how many times that happened."  
  
For a moment there, Heero caught the shadow of the person she used to be. Then, a second later, it was gone replaced by the current mask that she had worn so well during the hard years. "Bye, Heero."  
  
And the line went dead.  
  


For the first time in four years, another battle took place on Earth. This time, both sides were equally matched. And this time, the battle was not about teaching mankind the devastation of war such the one in the Eve War and the Operation Meteor conflict. This time, it was the battle of the pilots' survival as well as the people of Earth. This time, Earth was the prize.  
  
It started shakily for the pilots. Each was trying to come in term with their previous defeat. Though they had tucked away the incident, the moment they lifted off the thought returned as soon as they got their first glimpse of the battle below.  
  
As soon as they entered the atmosphere, the pilots were under attacked by Winteridge's MDs and sky fighters. Calmly, the boys battled these while scanning for the signs of the clones' mobile suits. They found them alright. The clones were battling the Preventers on the surface with some earth-based mobile suit, very well out of the Gundam pilots' range.  
  
"This is annoying," said Duo in his Maganac suit. "One of us must get to the surface to help the Preventers."  
  
"We know that, Duo," said Quatre, seemingly losing his cool as well. Since the MDs and fighters were all made by gundanium alloy, it was taking them quite some time to obliterate one. And the Preventers seemed to be...  
  
Suddenly, a fleck of red appeared from the horizon. It made its way towards the research facility, attacking the clones' land suits. "It's Epyon!" Duo yelled. "Zechs!" he called out the name. None of them knew that Zechs had come to Earth to assist Lady Une. The second he heard of the attack, he went for his Gundam, which was hidden in a valley in China.  
  
"Get down here as fast as you can," said Zechs, ignoring the greeting. "Lady Une is handling the evacuation," he informed them as a couple of mobile suits turned their attention towards him. The other three kept their attack on the plant.  
  
Quatre glanced at the screen and saw the civilians in the town nearby being shepherded away from the battle. "Roger. Did you hear that Heero? We needn't worry about the civilians."  
  
But the words failed to comfort the grim pilot. Instead, his worry intensified. 'It's not them I'm concern about."  
  


Zechs had never fought so hard in his life before. Not since his last battle with Heero. But now, his piloting skills were being tested even more because fighting these clones was like fighting two Heero Yuys. The clones seemed to have no weakness at all. Everything that he had tried went down the drain as the clones cleverly predicted his moves one by one.  
  
'It's like they have their own Zero System.' Then a thought came into mind. 'Could that be it?'  
  
He gritted his teeth as Epyon was hit. Far away from him, a portion of the facility exploded, taking some of the Preventer agents with it. He cursed Winteridge's name for causing it. He cursed the duke for creating these clones. And he cursed his inability to help his fellow comrade.  
  
Suddenly, one of the mobile suits exploded. Surprised, Zechs looked to his right where the shot had come from. Flying low as to avoid the skirmishes above was Gundam Altron.  
  
"Wu Fei!" he heard Winner's enthusiastic cry.  
  
The pilot of the Gundam remained silent as it took on the remaining mobile suits. Now, the Preventers had only one suit to worry about. Some of the fighters that were fighting the Gundams above had joined the battle below.  
  
"Wu Fei, the objective is to defend the facility not engaging the clones," Quatre reminded him, seeing that Altron ignored an opening to help the Preventers.  
  
"Sorry, that's not my objective," came the reply. But it was female!  
  


"Mylin?" Quatre exclaimed as his face came onto the screen. "What are you doing in there?"  
  
"In case you haven't noticed, I'm fighting for my life here," she said, sarcastically. She avoided a shot from _**Kylie-clone**_. Yes, she had identified her foe already and had purposely picked her.  
  
"Yes, but where's Wu Fei?"  
  
Mylin clenched her teeth. "He's rather engaged at the moment. Said that I can use his Gundam."  
  
That further mystified the blond pilot. He knew that Wu Fei would never hand over his Gundam to someone else. None of them would. They rather destroy the Gundams than to give them over to someone else.  
  
"Look, I'm a bit busy here so buzz off," she said, ending the transmission. She was just in time to spin away from another shot, meant to decapitate Altron's arm. The shot hit the earth behind her, narrowly missing a house nearby.  
  
"Oops... how clumsy of me," said _**Kylie-clone**_, mockingly. "Next time, I promise I won't miss again."  
  
Mylin growled. "There won't be a next time."  
  
Suddenly, the cockpit glowed as a radiant golden light bathed her. Unaware that the intensity in her mind had activated the Zero System, Mylin felt a sudden feeling of tranquility enveloping her.  
  


When the shot hit the ground, the house shook almost throwing Sara to the floor. Bracing herself by the database, Sara shook off the ringing in her ears. The blast had shattered the windows and knocked many things onto the floor.  
  
Hearing a whimper, Sara stopped what she was doing and tended to the frightened dog that had hidden himself under a table. "Come on, boy," she said, her voice was soothing even under the pressure. When the dog finally gathered its wit, Sara wheeled herself to the door and threw it open.  
  
The sight of the big blackened hole a few meters away from her yard made her gasp. She looked at the battle that took place a few hundreds kilometers away. "That was too close for comfort," she said to herself. She was thankful that there were not any other houses in the area. She and Heero had picked this house because of its seclusion. If there was anyone nearby...  
  
She couldn't finish the thought. Her only hope was that it would be over soon.  
  


Quatre gritted his teeth as another shot hit him. They weren't doing any good. All they succeeded in doing was holding the defense but was not able to drive the enemies away. And he could sense that everyone was getting tired and that their resources were draining away.  
  
However, he hadn't expected Mylin.  
  
"Mother of all gods, look at that!" he heard Duo exclaimed. Quatre looked down, where Mylin was battling _**Kylie's clone**_ and was startled. While the other Gundam pilots' progress was dwindling, Altron's seemed to be holding on well. Even winning!  
  
Speechless beyond words, Quatre watched the battle below, aware that those back at the headquarters were watching this particular battle. He didn't know how it was possible, since Mylin's skills in piloting weren't her best forte, but she seemed to be a pretty good pilot. Better than the rest of them!  
  
'What's going on?' he wondered, watching as Altron moved gracefully and flawlessly against its enemies, driving the clone back. Its movement was free and with a certain flair that it couldn't have been possible. It was as if Mylin had become one with Wu Fei's Gundam.  
  
"Look out!" he heard Duo warned as a mobile suit joined the pair. But Altron just effortlessly spun itself away from the tip of the new enemy's beam saber and swung the beam trident on the new assailant. Then, with a speed that seemed almost impossible, she cleaved the MD that had also joined in the fight into two, only to face eight incoming MDs and the two clones.  
  
Still, Altron and Mylin seemed unstoppable.  
  
  
  
Sara watched the battle before her silently. Since the missile had narrowly missed the house, she felt that it was no longer safe to go in. And so, she opted to watch the battle, a part of her seemed to be longing for it.  
  
The battle between Altron and the enemy's mobile suits attracted her attention. She watched in awe as Altron landed blows after blow on the two mobile suits and at the same time destroying the mobile dolls and mobile suits that came in her way. It seemed as if Altron did not care who it was destroying, just as long as it reached its objective. Even if it means killing its enemies.  
  
"Mylin," Sara whispered, recalling that Wu Fei wasn't in the suit. If it had been him, he would've spared the enemy's life and just incapacitate the mobile suits. Just like what the Gundam pilots and the Preventers agreed on. But seeing Altron destroying its enemy's without any effort to incapacitate them made her certain that the alien was in the Gundam.  
  
"This is how a battle should have been fought," she said, firmly. A feeling that hadn't been buried inside her for the past two years crept back in.  
  


_**Kylie-clone**_ gritted her teeth as her mobile suit shook. The alien had taken her completely by surprise. She hadn't known that the alien was a good a pilot as she and her clone mates were. It was taking her whole concentration just to keep the battle in equal terms, so that she could finally execute the real mission.  
  
Thankfully, _**Heero-clone**_ had sensed her distress and sent _**Quatre-clone**_ over to help. Between them both, they had managed to press the alien a little and still play their little charade.  
  
But still, it unnerved her that the opponent had a skillful pilot in their ranks.  
  
  
  
After a hard battle in the skies, the remaining Gundam pilots managed to bring the battle on land. Now, they were working together with the Preventers to defend the research facility. Consequently, the clones' mobile suits had all regrouped and focused their effort into driving the defenders back. All except the ones who were engaged in a personal battle against Gundam Altron.  
  
And so, the battle intensified.  
  
  
  
_**Kylie-clone**_ smiled to herself. Although she had been taken by surprise by the alien's piloting skills, she was satisfied enough to learn that the alien hadn't figured out their plan yet. In fact, she was even helping them as she drove the three of them away from the battlefield and closer to her intended target. _**Kylie-clone**_ silently congratulated Instructor D. His plan had been flawless up until now. He had cleverly staged a battle in which the facility was the target without revealing to the enemy the nature of their real target.  
  
"_**Kylie**_, I'll distract her. You'll complete the mission," came _**Quatre- clone's**_ voice, quiet and thoughtful. Without another word, he went head-on towards Altron.  
  
Seeing that she was given a rare, golden opportunity, _**Kylie-clone**_ fixed her target on the house again, which had now stood just a few kilometers from them. The alien had her back on the house again, at the moment, engaged in a furious battle with _**Quatre-clone**_.  
  
When she finally had a lock, **_Kylie-clone_** squeezed the trigger. The shot went wide and passed over the Altron's shoulder narrowly.  
  
"Miss again!" said the alien, swinging the trident at her. She had expected the attack even before the clone fired.  
  
**_Kylie-clone_** blocked the attack. She smiled at the alien in satisfactorily. "Meant to."  
  
Mylin frowned, surprised by her words. Behind her, the once small and cozy house had turned into a charred ruin.  
  


"NO!" The sound of Heero's anguished voice rang through the open channel. "Kylie!"  
  
With that, Wing Zero broke formation, leaving the battlefield. He rammed in everything within his path. His twin buster rifle spouted deadly beam until it ran out of juice. "Heero! Where are you going?" Quatre inquired, seeing him making a beeline towards the burning specks not far away. He had seen the house exploded but was too preoccupied to notice what Heero had just said.  
  
"Let him be, Winner!" came a new voice. Wu Fei's haunted face appeared on the screen.  
  
"Where's he going? We still have to keep the clones away from the research facility."  
  
"It's Kylie, Quatre," said Wu Fei, quietly silencing Quatre immediately. The blond pilot paled. "She was in that house."  
  
"What!" came the collective reply from various sources.  
  
But Quatre never wait for a confirmation. Instead he headed away. Towards where the love of his life was.  
  


_**Kylie-clone**_ kept the grin plastered on her face. Her mission was a success and the spy was gone. Duke Winteridge would be very pleased. But first, _**Kylie-clone**_ decided to have fun a little. She found herself enjoying this particular battle because the alien seemed to be providing her with some challenges.  
  
Over the years of their training, the clones had been exposed to the Gundams' fighting style, including that of the pilots. And they could all predict the pilots every single move. But this alien was an enigma. Her battle prowess was never recorded and thus making her the most worthy foe yet.  
  
And she would find it even more fun once she had the alien destroyed.  
  
Suddenly, a slight movement on the screen wiped her grin away. Magnifying her visual, **_Kylie-clone_** saw the burning ruin as well as the great big hole she had blasted on her first try. Then, her finger froze as the screen showed a tiny figure moving on the left of the charred ruin.  
  
It was a dog. And next to the dog, lay a prone figure!  
  
"So, I did miss," she whispered, seeing the figure starting to stir. "Well, it doesn't matter now. Your luck has just run out." She raised her rifle, completely ignoring Altron who was making its way towards her.  
  
She squeezed the trigger.  
  
TO BE CONTINUED...


	16. Anguish

DISCLAIMER: Gundam Wing belonged to Sunrise and co. I'm not making any profits out of this, so don't sue. Oh, those you think you've never heard before belong to me. And feedback is very welcome, people!  
  
TIMELINE: The story takes place after Survival of the Fittest, I'd say almost two years.  
  
NOTE: To avoid confusion, I have italic-and-bold the clones' name. Hopefully, that could help you understand who's who.  
  
SHATTERED MIRRORS XV: ANGUISH.  
  
By Arayelle Lynn.  
  
She never saw what was coming. One moment she was watching the battle outside her house and the next, she was flying. She didn't know how long she had been knocked out. But when she came to, Adin was tugging at her sleeve and she felt pain all over her body.  
  
At first, she wanted to sink back into the comfortable floating darkness. But something inside her told her not to. So, fighting back the pounding stampede in her head, she began to move. Instead of checking her surrounding, she looked up to find the person who nearly took her life.  
  
And her eyes met the huge barrel of an MS rifle.  
  
  
  
The moment she squeezed the trigger, her eyes finally set on the face of the person she was sent to destroy. She gasped when she saw a mirror image of her own!  
  
Time seemed to stop. A pair of winter blue eyes was glaring at her, through the ruffled dark red hair that nearly covered her eyes. Her glare seemed to pierce through the armor, for _**Kylie-clone**_ could feel the chill from that cold, unwavering gaze. If anything, _**Kylie-clone**_ could've sworn that the girl could see her through the armor because she couldn't take her eyes away from the icy glare.  
  
That was, until she realized that her rifle was firing.  
  
  
  
She held her glare as the rifle fired. She was determined to look at her executioner as she died. Then, there was a flash of brilliant light that swallowed her, followed by a loud explosion. Instead of seeing her life flashed before her eyes, she found herself shielding her face as debris and specks of earth filled the air.  
  
When the air finally cleared up, she saw the unmistakable form of Wing Zero's beam saber, protruding from the ground. Coming from above, the owner of the saber hovered in the air, protectively. Instantly, she figured that Heero had thrown the saber to catch the shot to save her life. Sighing at her rotten luck in getting the final rest, she fell into the darkness again.  
  
  
  
**_Kylie-clone_** stared at the form, her fingers shook where she had pulled the trigger. Still in shock, she failed to notice when her rifle fell from her grip. A movement from above caught her attention. There, she saw Wing Zero keeping its twin buster rifle pointing at her. But she knew that it was useless. She knew that she could still fulfill her mission without any obstacle.  
  
"**_Kylie_**, are you there?" her comm. crackled, startling her. She hadn't realized that the battle was still on. It seemed such a long time ago. "**_Kylie_**, have you achieved our objective?"  
  
She flicked the sending button. "Negative. The mission is a failure. Retreat," she said, without even remembering that **_Heero-clone_** was the one in charge. Somehow, her comrades detected something in her voice for they broke away from the battle. _**Kylie-clone**_ spared a glance at the tiny figure on the ground as she moved out. Closing her eyes, she knew that the battle was over.  
  
  
  
The second he landed, Quatre jumped down from his Gundam, nearly forgetting the grapnel line. He ran towards Heero who was just picking up the prone figure. He stopped a few feet away, his heart thumping in exertion as well as from the raging emotion within him. He was afraid to come closer, afraid to find out that he had heard everything wrong.  
  
Then blue-green his eyes met winter blue ones. His heart made a giant leapt.  
  
"Kylie! You're alive!"  
  
Kylie winced, burying her head deeper into Heero's shoulder. And Heero in his part, held her even closer to him. Quatre had never seen her looking so vulnerable until this day. He stepped forward, hands reached out. "Kylie..." he began.  
  
Heero pulled her away from him, rather protectively. "Save it, Winner. Can't you see she needs medical attention?"  
  
Dumbfounded, Quatre could only watched one of his closest companions walked away with the woman he loved. He was still standing there when Duo put a hand on his shoulder, waking him up from his thoughts. The Deathscythe pilot's face was grim.  
  
"Come on, we better go," he said, steering his friend away from the ruin. As he walked, he noticed something that looked like a chair being consumed by the raging fire.  
  
  
  
"How could this have happened? How could she be alive?" Duo wondered aloud.  
  
They were all waiting outside the infirmary, waiting for the results. All of them were there, including Noin, who had come down to the Preventers' underground main headquarters on Earth. All of them, except Heero, who had ignored the doctor's orders and joined Kylie inside the room.  
  
Duo looked around him for an answer. Silence greeted him. Quatre was sitting quietly, his head bowed low. He was still trying to get over the shock and Duo's heart went out for him. He knew that his friend was taking it hard.  
  
"I may have an answer to that," someone said. All heads turned to Lady Une.  
  
"While Gundam Nova was under construction, I have requested a new modification."  
  
Zechs leaned forward. "Really? Like what?"  
  
"I requested a special modification in the cockpit. A safety device," she continued. "To be short, when Kylie activated the self-destruct system it should trigger the safety device as well."  
  
"And what does this safety device do?"  
  
"It separates the cockpit from the Gundam. Sort of like an escape pod." She paused. "It wasn't in the Gundam schematics because I was afraid that Kylie might discover it and shut it off. Anyway, the safety device was left untested because the urgency of its presence in the battlefield. So, when Nova was destroyed, I thought that the safety device did not work so I never mentioned it."  
  
"But now we know it did work, right?" said Trowa who was sitting next to Quatre.  
  
Duo nodded. "That explains it. But..." He turned towards Wu Fei. "It does not explain how you knew that she was still alive. And in that house."  
  
Now, the spotlight was on Wu Fei, who met their gazes steadily. Instead of answering Duo, he kept his silence. "Well?" Duo prompted.  
  
"They're coming out," was his answer. A second later, the door slid open and Tricia Farrell came out with a man in white lab coat. They all stood up. "Who's the legal guardian of the patient?"  
  
Lady Une smiled a little. Kylie's almost twenty now and she hardly need a guardian. Somehow, the doctor must've gotten her age wrong considering that Kylie looked like a seventeen-year-old. 'In fact, all of them do,' she thought as her gaze swept across the faces of the Gundam pilots.  
  
"Lady Une?" the doctor broke her thoughts. "Your guardian seemed to be fine, just a little bruises and cuts here and there. She's a very tough young lady." Lady Une smiled gently at that. The doctor continued, fixing his glasses. "We've also arranged a new wheelchair for her..."  
  
"Excuse me, what?" she stopped him. Her hearing caught something new.  
  
"We've arranged a new wheelchair to replace her old one so...," he repeated.  
  
He caught his next words when he saw her face paled. In fact, everyone in the hallway seemed to be staring at him in disbelief. Somehow, Dr. Farrell sensed something in the mood. She turned to the doctor. "Perhaps I should take it from here, Dr. Warner."  
  
He nodded, thinking that it would be better for someone familiar to take over right then. He said his good bye and left. When the doctor was finally out of earshot, Dr. Farrell regarded the group. "Please be calm when you hear this," she began, noticing that at least one of them, the Chinese pilot, was unmoved by the declaration. "Kylie's paralyzed. The injury she sustained during the Telrhani war has caused a damaging effect on her spinal cord."  
  
Lady Une reeled and Zechs caught her in time. Quatre fell onto his seat again, with Trowa holding him. Mylin watched everything silently while Duo turned to Wu Fei's expressionless face. "You knew this too, didn't you?" his tone was accusing.  
  
Instead of answering him, he looked at the door behind the doctor. Heero was emerging, wheeling Kylie out in a wheelchair. Quatre quickly rushed to her side. "Kylie..." he wanted to say but couldn't. Despite of the discovery that she was still alive, the thought of her not being able to walk plagued his mind and rendered him speechless.  
  
"Save it, Winner." Were the first words he heard from her in a long time. They would've warmed his heart, if they weren't said in such a distant and cold manner. She turned to Lady Une, her face was aloof. "Find me a secure place. We need to talk."  
  
  
  
Winteridge waited for the arrival of his clones patiently. He had heard of their failure and expected a very good explanation from them. So, the second they returned, he sent for them. And he purposely had his right man by his side so they could both evaluate if the clones were starting to show deterioration in their performance.  
  
**_ Kylie-clone_** came in first, looking rather subdued. Behind her, _**Heero- clone**_, _**Duo-clone**_, **_Quatre-clone_** and **Wu Fei-clone** followed in. Their eyes were looking _**Kylie**_ questioningly.  
  
"I take it you have some sort of an explanation for this?" he asked the girl, knowing who caused the recent setback.  
  
**_Kylie-clone_** looked up. He was a bit surprise to find her eyes twinkled in excitement. "I have news, Your Grace. Good or bad, it's entirely up to you and Instructor." She nodded at the man who trained her.  
  
That peaked their interests. All of them stared at her curiously.  
  
"My original still lives."  
  
Winteridge rose from his seat. Behind him, Instructor D took a step forward. "You mean..."  
  
"Kylie Rayden is still alive."  
  
  
  
They settled down in the conference room silently. Lady Une was talking to an agent, Grant, who was in charge of the Preventer's Earth headquarters in the northern hemisphere. The topic of discussion was whether Grant should be in the room. It was a normal procedure for an officer to join in any discussion that took place in his base but Kylie had pointedly refused his presence and refused to talk as long as he was there. Grant had taken this badly for it was rarely for an Earth-bound officer to find as many excitements as in space. And when one came falling into his lap, it was only natural for him to be eager to help. However, the form of an arrogant handicap dared to refuse him his right. Refused him in his own base!  
  
And so, Lady Une found herself trying to convince the agitated man that it was all in the name of high secrecy. After a few minutes, the agent left the room in a huff, sparing a sharp stare at Kylie, who ignored it nonchalantly.  
  
Once he was gone, all eyes set on Kylie. They each wondered if she was really there. Kylie, in her part, ignored their stares especially a certain blue-green one. Instead, she activated the database. Her fingers danced in a fashion that reflected her longtime experience in using one.  
  
"So, you're Heero's mysterious source," said Mylin, breaking the uncomfortable silence. She was the only one, beside Heero and Wu Fei, who was less surprised by the dead girl's sudden appearance. When Kylie didn't answer, she shrugged. "Figures. Only a true soldier knew what information that could be of use in the dawn of a war." She looked at Heero with a hint of approval. "Though I failed to guess how long Heero's going to keep the pretense?" As she said this, her eyes strayed on Wu Fei.  
  
The two kept their silence as Kylie busied herself over the database.  
  
"Kylie..." Quatre began.  
  
She drowned the rest of his words. "When Heero and I discovered Winteridge's first sign of defection, we have been keeping a close eye on his activities. While Heero gone mobile, I made my move through the cyberspace." She patted the database, a constant companion since her paralysis. "We agreed that I should provide all the necessary information and Heero take all the actions."  
  
"So that's the reason for the secrecy?" asked Duo. "The reason for playing dead? You were afraid that Winteridge would catch on your little operation?" That jab earned a sharp look from Heero but Kylie ignored it. She simply continued.  
  
"However, through all the events that you've undergone, none of you've ever asked the most important question," she pointed out, looking at them squarely. Heero, Wu Fei, Zechs and Trowa looked at each other, realization hit them. Duo looked at them, lost.  
  
"What?" he started to ask.  
  
"Right. How do the clones got so good?" Mylin guessed for all of them. She was beginning to understand Kylie's hidden meaning in her words. Although she was the only one of them who came close to defeating the clones, she had also felt a slight strain while fighting the clones earlier.  
  
Instead of confirming Mylin's guess, the database whirred and projected a hologram of a document. "I was looking through this when the attack came."  
  
"This is the list of Winteridge's main personnel!" Noin breathed, reading it hungrily. "Dr. Robert Randells. Isn't he that famous genetic expert from Nigeria? The one who studied the science of rapid growth of clones? I've read his work, pretty impressive."  
  
"Yeah and he's also pretty dead," said Wu Fei. "He'd been lying in the morgue for the past few months, a gunshot wound through the head."  
  
"Geez, poor guy," Duo interjected.  
  
Heero looked at Trowa, who flinched. "You were there, weren't you?"  
  
"The alley, when I first discovered that you're still alive. I didn't know who he was. Thought that he was being robbed until your clone came and knocked me out and killed him." He looked at Heero. "I guess, now it's proven that the man is connected to Winteridge."  
  
"Connected how? I mean, he's a great genetic expert and all, though not many shared his enthusiasm. Some even went as far as telling him that his theory in human cloning and growth acceleration is next to impossible," said Noin.  
  
"Well, now it does not sound so impossible, does it?" said Mylin, pointing at another holographic image. "Read that. It is an experiment report."  
  
They read and a lot of questions were answered. At the end of it, they returned their attention back to Kylie. The Gundam pilots were grim and strangely silent. "Wait a minute. I don't think I understand the last part," said Duo, frowning. He looked at Quatre for clarification but the blond pilot was lost in his own thoughts.  
  
"Randells was the head scientist for Winteridge's cloning project for the past five years until he was killed," Sally explained.  
  
"Duh! I can read that," said Duo, impatiently. "But I want to know what he means by 'certain measures of modification are essential for higher performance on the subjects' part.' What does he mean by that?"  
  
"He altered the genes, Duo. To make them more efficient than the originals."  
  
"You mean... is that why they're damn good?"  
  
"Yes. Randells had thrown away all the weaknesses of the original pilots so that he could create beings that are free from weaknesses." Sally shook her head. "Randells had erased any weaknesses in your genes and had created, maybe, the most perfect soldiers in mankind history."  
  
"Making it harder for us to battle them," Duo exclaimed, displease and then sulked. "Suddenly, I don't feel so sorry for the guy anymore."  
  
Kylie switched to another image. "That's not all."  
  
All five Gundam pilots, including Zechs gasped. Lady Une and the others stared at the chart, incomprehensibly. There were series of long and jagged lines on the chart as well as some numbers. "What is it?" Noin asked her husband.  
  
"The clones had been exposed to the Zero System since day one!" Zechs answered. "The system is already embedded inside the clones. That's why they could predict our movements so well!"  
  
"All of that without using the necessary program or equipment for the system," Kylie added.  
  
"A clone of us without weaknesses and exposed to the Zero System since the day they were in diapers? I don't think I can take much more of this," said Duo, his head spinning.  
  
Heero turned to Kylie. "Why wasn't I made known of this sooner?"  
  
"The file was heavily encrypted," she answered. "This is one of the files that I've downloaded from the outpost the other day. And some are still encrypted and will take time." Suddenly, she wheeled her chair back and started to leave.  
  
Lady Une's head perked up. "Where are you going?"  
  
"Leaving. I've told you what I know and now you must decide what you're going to do with the information," she answered, shrugging.  
  
For a second, Lady Une almost told Kylie to stay. But once the wheelchair was made visible, she was painfully reminded that Kylie was no longer a Gundam pilot. A part of her wanted to thank the heavens but a part of her was torn at the pitiful sight of Treize's ward.  
  
"Right," she cleared her constricted throat. She turned to the members of the room. "Anyone with an insight?" She turned to the leader of the Gundam pilots. "Quatre?"  
  
Only silence greeted her.  
  
  
  
Throughout the meeting, Quatre could hardly concentrate. He only listened half-heartedly at what was being said around him. Though his eyes were looking at the projected images, he was actually seeing the girl, who was on the other side of the image. His heart pained, his mind hurt.  
  
'Why? Why didn't you tell me that you're still alive?'  
  
'Why are you ignoring me?'  
  
'Why won't you look at me, Kylie?'  
  
'Don't you know that I miss you so much?'  
  
These questions kept on playing in his mind over and over. Ever since he discovered that Kylie was still alive, all sorts of emotions swirled inside him. One second he felt like crying then he felt so angry but only to be replaced by confusion. And all the while, there's one emotion that stayed in his head.  
  
Betrayal.  
  
Even so, that feeling would always battle with that raging need to hold her. To make sure that she was indeed there, not just a figment of his imagination. His heart fluttered at the sight of her again but he was held back by something. Something that flashed in her eyes. Something old, yet new.  
  
Hatred?  
  
'Do you blame me for your condition?'  
  
'Yes, I blame myself too. I should've been there to save you. I should've been there for you.'  
  
'Please look at me, Kylie. I'm so sorry.'  
  
'Please forgive me.'  
  
'Don't turn away from me.'  
  
'Don't hate me.'  
  
Suddenly he realized that everyone was looking at him. He straightened himself, his eyes torn away from the retreating form on the wheelchair. For a moment, he furiously tried to recall what was being asked of him but couldn't.  
  
Lady Une sighed, knowing that the events of the day had taken its toll on all of them. And so she called the meeting to an end, informing them that temporary quarters had been prepared for all of them at the base.  
  
However instead of leaving, everybody seemed to linger for one reason or the other. All except Heero, who joined Kylie at the door. Quatre stood up as well but he hesitated once he saw the warning glance that she gave him. Whatever he wanted to say was stuck in his throat.  
  
They all watched as Heero and Kylie disappeared from the room. Silence shrouded over them for a while, until they heard a sigh coming from Duo. "What does it take to kill the girl?" he wondered under his breath so Quatre wouldn't hear him.  
  
"I never really believe that Kylie is dead," said Trowa, surprising everyone. He had been tight-lipped as late. "At least, after I discovered that Heero is alive."  
  
Mylin looked at him, deeply interested. "Really? Why do you say that?"  
  
Trowa stared at the closed door. It was then they heard a muffled sound of a dog barking. "Because Heero didn't bring his dog." At that, they looked at each other in realization. What Trowa had just said made sense. Heero would never entrust his dog to anyone, save those whom the dog accept as friends. And that ranged only Heero himself, Kylie, Quatre and Trowa. Even Wu Fei had a hard time controlling the dog when he was taking him to Heero two years ago.  
  
Then Trowa looked at Wu Fei. "I guess, you knew about her from the start, didn't you?"  
  
Now, Wu Fei was trapped. He had no excuse to escape from the dreaded question.  
  
"Yes," he answered, grudgingly. "I discovered that fact when I met Heero at the hospital," he said, but he hid the fact that Kylie was in a coma then. He knew that she would've demanded him of that.  
  
"Why?"  
  
The pain in Quatre's voice was so evident that Wu Fei, for once, felt sorry for him. But then, the image of Kylie on the hospital bed cried back at him and he was reminded of what she meant for him. He looked away from the blue-green eyes, ignoring Mylin's cynical look.  
  
"It's none of your business."  
  
With that, he was gone.  
  
  
  
He walked around in daze. The news hit him like a ton of bricks. She's alive! The news both excited him and disturbed him. He was excited because he hadn't seen her for a very long while. However, the news also awakened a memory long forgotten. A memory that fuelled the burning rage in his mind. And it made his life even more complete because he could now finally get his revenge. He could now quench his thirst for her presence.  
  
'Watch your back, kid 'cause I'm coming for you,' he swore, a malicious smile touched his lips.  
  
"Are you alright?" a voice behind him said. He turned around slowly, knowing who exactly it was.  
  
Duke Winteridge regarded his longtime friend. "You left so quickly when you heard the news."  
  
"I'm sorry. That was very rude of me, your grace," he apologized.  
  
"I told you not to call me that, D," said the aristocrat. "Not after the way you saved my life."  
  
"I'm sorry again, Kent," said D, the instructor for the clones. "And yes, I'm fine. The news just shook me, I guess."  
  
Winteridge joined him at the window. "She's certainly surprised both of us, I see."  
  
"And she'll never cease to surprise us in the future."  
  
The duke spared a glance at him. He exhaled. "I guess you should know her even better, my friend. Which is why we need to speed things up."  
  
Startled, Instructor D looked at him. "Is that wise?"  
  
"You said it yourself. She'll never cease to surprise us. Who knows how much information on our operation she has downloaded. Now that she's with the Gundam pilots again, it would be a matter of time before they'll figure everything out."  
  
Remembering his duties, Instructor D pushed away his thoughts. "I'll take care of everything."  
  
  
  
For the second time in a week, Mylin found herself in the hangar, working on the repairs of Gundam Altron. It had taken little damage but she still wanted to make sure that there would not be any tiny damages that could affect her performance. And as she worked, her mind played over the first fight she had with the clones.  
  
The battle had been indescribable to her. She had never felt so exhilarated. Mylin was never train a pilot and only honed her skills in hand-to-hand battles, so it took her by surprise to find that she was actually looking forward to the next battle. And she knew that she owe it to the Zero system. It had made her a better pilot than the Gundam pilots.  
  
The others were very impressed too. Mylin knew this when she was walking along the corridor. The way the humans looked at her had change somehow. Before this, they had look at her in suspicion but now, their eyes betrayed their gratefulness and acceptance. Even Lady Une had expressed her admiration. But she personally, did not take their reaction into heart. She knew better than to drown herself in self-congratulatory. Especially since she had her own reason for being there. Her secret mission.  
  
A faint sound interrupted her thoughts. Mylin looked up to see Wu Fei.  
  
"Is there something you want?" she asked, meaningfully.  
  
Wu Fei shook his head, without even sparing a glance at his Gundam. "I just want to see what you're up to."  
  
Mylin spread her hands. "Well, as you can see, I'm repairing your Gundam," she answered. "Is that satisfactorily enough?"  
  
Wu Fei nodded, and then turned around to leave. "One more thing," he suddenly said, standing under the threshold of the hangar. He looked at her over his shoulder. "Good job, Mylin. That was the best fight ever."  
  
Mylin watched him go as a smile tugged at her lips. She found herself feeling slightly warmed by Wu Fei's words. "It would be a lot better if you're the only piloting it," she murmured, but of course, Wu Fei was already gone by then.  
  


Silence filled the room. After all these years of pain and misery, they were finally together. But now, none of them seemed to be able to find the right word to break the thick shroud of silence that fell on them. And so, the silence stretched on.  
  
It had been Duo Maxwell's idea that they should talk. The braided- haired pilot couldn't bear seeing the guilt on Quatre's face and so had taken the initiative to arrange a secret meeting between the two. Surprisingly, Kylie accepted willingly, though the expression on her face betrayed everything but good news.  
  
But to Duo's dismay, Heero joined them too. And as much as Duo wanted Quatre to be alone with Kylie, he didn't have enough courage to throw the dangerous pilot out. "Let him be. This concerns him as well." Kylie had said when he tried to shoo Heero away. It warned him that something else was amiss.  
  
And so he left them in the room, standing on the other side of the door, on watch.  
  
Kylie studied the rain pelts sliding down the window. It was raining outside and the glass felt cool under her touch. She waited patiently, feeling Quatre's eyes bore into her. Her heart was set in doing what she had intended to do earlier.  
  
Quatre stared at Kylie, ignoring Heero completely. He debated on what he should say to her. His heart pleading for her to look at him. But she didn't. The eyes which had once watched him in a quiet protectiveness were gone. In their place were the eyes of a complete stranger. Void of feelings.  
  
"It's over, Winner," Kylie suddenly said, as Quatre had almost mustered his courage to say something. She turned around to look at him. "Don't dwell on it anymore. That's my advice."  
  
His mouth opened and closed again. He was shocked by her words. 'What does she mean? How could it be over? How could she say that?' were the only things he could think of. His thoughts started to mix with others. 'Don't you care for me anymore? Don't you miss me? Why didn't you tell me you're still alive?'  
  
She didn't wait for him to respond. "Forget about me and get on with your life, Winner."  
  
"How could you say that? Don't you know how long I have been waiting for you?" he managed to blurt out.  
  
Kylie laughed bitterly. "That's a crazy thing to do. Why wait for someone who's already dead?"  
  
That hurt him even more than what Kylie's clone had done to him. How could she say that after all he had been through?  
  
"Why..."  
  
Kylie interrupted him, raising her hand. "I'm married, Quatre."  
  
The news shocked him even more. He stared at the golden glint in her hand, his head reeling. He hadn't realized that he had taken a step back. "Wh... who?" he rasped, as something in his chest started to hurt. He was beginning to feel light-headed.  
  
Kylie didn't answer. But another glint coming from his right took his eyes away from her and landed on Heero. It was then he saw the identical gold ring around his fingers. Something broke inside him at that moment as the feeling of betrayal fuelled his growing anger.  
  
"You're married to him?" he found himself shouting. His heart raced and he couldn't find a way to shut his mouth from saying the next hurtful words. "What do you see in him? Why couldn't you wait for me? Dammit! Why didn't you tell me that you're still alive?"  
  
Someone touched his shoulder from behind.  
  
"Quatre..."  
  
He hit Heero squarely in his face. The impact sent Heero reeling a little. "And how could you do this to me? I thought you were my friend? I trusted you and this is how you show your friendship?" Chest heaving, he clutched his throbbing heart as tears were starting to form. His fist balled for another punch.  
  
"Do not forget your place, Quatre Raberba Winner!" Kylie barked. She didn't mind him getting angry at her but didn't want to see Heero getting dragged into it as well. "Go to Dorothy. She's right for you."  
  
Quatre choked at the reminder. He had totally forgotten his engagement!  
  
Heero jumped forward to catch Quatre before he hit the floor. For a moment, he held the shaking body of his friend tightly. "Nobody ever wanted this to happen, Quatre," he said gently. He pitied his friend greatly. "But it did."  
  
"Let me go," came a muffled voice. Heero released his friend, who pushed himself up. His head hung low as he made his way towards the door.  
  
"Forget about me, Winner," said Kylie, the hard edge in her voice was still there. "Go to Dorothy. She cares for you."  
  
Quatre nodded dumbly. He exited the room. Everything that happened that day was all for the wrong reasons. What should have been a happy reunion for them both had turned into a sorrowful one. This time, they had ended it all.  
  
  
  
Dorothy rushed into the complex, almost colliding with Trowa in the process. She panted, looking at him as he steadied her. "Is it true? Is she alive?" she asked, breathless. She had been running from the Preventers landing port to the upper ground main complex. Behind her, was Hilde.  
  
At the sound of desperation in her voice, Trowa felt pity for her. He knew that the reappearance of Kylie would change her relationship with Quatre, for good or bad. Especially since they were only three months away from their wedding day.  
  
"Yes, she's alive," he said, deciding a direct answer. He didn't want to hurt her but he didn't want to lie to her either.  
  
"And Quatre? Where is he?"  
  
Trowa nodded at the close door at the far end of the hallway, where Duo was attempting to eavesdrop. Aside him, Wu Fei was there too, waiting. "He's in there. With Kylie."  
  
Dorothy's face dropped. Suddenly, the door opened and Quatre emerged from the room. His head hung low as he staggered into the hallway. He didn't acknowledge Duo's hand on his shoulder. In fact, he didn't seem to be noticing their existence. His face was white and drawn and he seemed to be shaking a little.  
  
Duo handed him to Dorothy. "Take him to his room," he said, gently. As he watched the couple went, he spared a sharp glance at Kylie, who was watching them all. His eyes reflected nothing but anger for the girl who had hurt his friend.  
  
He was still watching them as Heero wheeled her chair passed him. His lips twitched on an angry question.  
  
"None of your business," she said, as if sensing the words coming out of his mouth. Her eyes warned him coldly. That was enough to silence him.  
  
  
  
Dorothy helped Quatre to his room. She was deeply concern for him. She was afraid that whatever happened in that room would affect his health. Though he looked fine, the doctor had said that Quatre still had a long way to full recovery.  
  
Once they were finally in his room, Dorothy was finally able to open her mouth. "Quatre?"  
  
He looked up. The lost look on his face nearly broke her heart. It was the same look that he had when Kylie was confirmed dead. It was a look that greeted her when he had finally broken through his temporary madness.  
  
"Dorothy? You're here?" he said, his voice faint. Then, his face fell into an anguish pain as a sob escaped his lips. He held onto Dorothy. "She... she left me, Dorothy. She left..." he choked, before succumbing into his uncontrollable sorrow.  
  
Dorothy closed her eyes as she held the love of her life.  
  
** TO BE CONTINUED...  
**  
**AUTHOR REPLIES:** Since I barely have time to reply all of your kind reviews anymore, I decided to reply them after the chapter. Besides, my dad has been telling me that I've spent waaay too much online. He's threatening me to terminate the service! (No! The horror.) Hope you guys don't mind.  
  
**Ookami Kage:** I'm sorry that you're getting confused. Heero called Sara Kylie because she IS Kylie. Yes, what you hoped for and guessed earlier came true. Be happy about it. The reason Duo's retiring is because he felt he had failed Deathscythe. However, there is also another reason. Won't tell you what though . But thanks for the review. Glad to know how much you love my stories.  
  
**Arina Kim:** I'm working on the whole language thing. Sara and Kylie related? That's a good idea but a lot of people want Kylie back so I have to use Sara in this sense. No worry. Still got plenty of OCs to explore, particularly Mylin and Amy (if only I can find the opportunity) Though Heero and Kylie claimed to be married, we all know that they're actually twins, so that pretty much a ruse. The reason? That's why we're here to find out.  
  
**X- Calibur:** Thanks for reading the story and review it. Hope you'll keep on reading it.  
  
**SilverRocks:** Ai! Can't tell you the end of the story until we reach it smacks head. That'll ruin the surprise. But tell you this though, Shattered Mirrors is almost over. Somewhere in July, I'll be posting Shattered Walls.  
  
**Justin:** Actually, I wanted to test if Duo has a serious side in him. And am attempting to use Mylin more than just a minor character. I guess, I just want to try something new. It's a little hard to include Zechs in the action since he's one of the prominent pilots in GW universe when all I want to do is highlight the GW boys. Hopefully I can make it work. As for the battle sequence, I am trying to be more descriptive but the story is already long as it is. And I have the knack to explore the emotional part of GW. Maybe in the last battle, I'll try to concentrate on the battles.  
  
As for Relena, don't be too heart broken. She is, in fact, one of my favorites. I like her despite what everyone says about her. I'm just twitching things a little bit between her and Heero. The reason? I love breaking people up and matching them again . Makes things between them even more interesting. Relena-Quatre? Wow! Now that's a pair. Actually when I saw GW for the first time, I thought it would be possible. The two are so right together. Relena's strong spirit would complement Quatre's gentle kindness any day. Sadly, she met Heero first. And most girls always fall for tall, dark and mysterious stranger. Especially a stranger who practically dropped from the skies. I admit, I am one of the suckers but now, I'm divided between that and innocent, beady eyes angels.  
  
Relena-Quatre-Noin? Uh, I don't know about that.  
  
**Meow Cat:** He... he... your name betrays your passion for cats. Thanks for the review. Hope you like the new chapter. 


	17. Pain

**DISCLAIMER:** Gundam Wing belonged to Sunrise and co. I'm not making any profits out of this, so don't sue. Oh, those you think you've never heard before belong to me. And feedback is very welcome, people!

**TIMELINE:** The story takes place after Survival of the Fittest, I'd say almost two years.

**SHATTERED MIRRORS XVI: PAIN**.

By Arayelle Lynn.

The last couple of days went uneventfully. Lady Une had purposely given the Gundam pilots a few days to get over the shock but it was Quatre Winner, who cut the break short. He came to her, looking calm and well-composed, and requested for a staff meeting.

Shortly after that, they were all there minus Kylie. They talked about the information that she had provided them to make sure that they had all understood the significance of this. All the while, the others watched Quatre, both in awe and concern, for his quick recovery over what should be a great emotional distress.

However, Quatre didn't give them any sign that he was in distress. In fact, he contributed more into the meeting than anyone else. He presented Relena's report on her progress with the ESUN representatives, as well as his own conversation with a few. The meeting went on smoothly, much to the satisfaction of Agent Grant, who was invited to the meeting. In the end, it came down to what they were supposed to do with the information that Kylie had given them.

"Obviously, we can't undone what has been done to the clones," said Noin.

"Yes, we'll have to find another way to defeat them. They must have a weakness somewhere," said Quatre, turning to Heero. "Has Kylie come up with anything yet?"

The others held their breaths. This was the first time Quatre ever mentioned Kylie's name after the incident. They were surprised to hear nothing but business in his voice.

Heero shook his head. "She said she'll need time to gather all the lost information in the blast."

"Okay, we won't pressure her at this point then," said Quatre, his voice was gentle.

"So, what do we do now?" asked Dorothy, who was also invited as an agent.

"Unless we come up with something that could be useful to form an action plan, we pretty much could do nothing," said Lady Une. "Attacking Winteridge's army would be out of the question after what happened."

"You mean when we lost, right?" said Duo, bitterly.

She continued, ignoring his little jab. "So, the only thing that we could do is hold position. The Preventers would prepare all the necessary resources for any future confrontation and keep watch on Winteridge's activity while you Gundam pilots could, let just say, sharpen your skills so you could match with those of your 'invincible' clones."

"Agreed," said Quatre, as their leader.

"Maybe this is not the right time to say this but..." Duo stopped, hesitantly.

"Duo?" said Sally, concernedly. Quatre looked at Duo pleadingly.

"I'm done as a Gundam pilot," he blurted out, ignoring his friend's pained stare.

They were all startled by this revelation. Even Heero looked up sharply at Duo.

"Are you sure about this, Duo?" asked Lady Une, calmly.

"I've lost. I have no right to pilot Deathscythe anymore."

She looked at him, understandingly. His pain was evident on his face. "I see," she finally said. Then, she turned to the other pilots. "Anyone feeling the same as Duo?" she asked, looking at them with deep concern. She had totally forgotten that they were only kids. It would only be natural that they would be deeply affected by their defeat. Her only regret was that she hadn't been there to help them cope.

"My mission comes before anything," answered Heero. "Zero wouldn't let me rest."

"I'm still flying," said Quatre, firmly. "There's so many people that I want to protect."

Trowa nodded, without hesitation.

All eyes turned to Wu Fei, who was silent.

"Don't bother," said Mylin, who had also been silent the entire time. Her presence had displeased Grant but Lady Une needed her there. "His Gundam is mine to pilot now," she said, much to the surprise of the others.

Then Wu Fei stood up and exited. He never uttered a single word.

Lady Une sighed. They had lost two Gundam pilots. Feeling tension grew in the room, she called the meeting adjourned.

Quatre walked over to Heero. He extended his hand, startling the Wing Zero pilot. He smiled. "Take good care of her, Heero," he said, confusing the other people in the room. "She deserves so much of it."

Heero nodded, grasping his friend's hand. "I will, Quatre." Then he left.

Duo came up to him, puzzled. "What was that all about?" he asked.

Quatre's eyes were bright when he looked at him. He smiled. "I guess with all the commotion, they've forgotten to mention it."

"Mention what?" asked Trowa, curiously.

"Heero and Kylie are married."

"What!" was Duo's reaction. He took a step back, startling the others. His body shook as his face crunched up in anger. "They can't do that," he said, growling. "How dare they?"

Quatre laid a hand on Duo. "It happened, Duo but I'm fine with it."

"No! It's not fine," Duo shouted. "I'll make them feel sorry for doing this." He then stormed out of the room.

"Duo!"

Trowa stopped Quatre. "Let him be, Quatre. He needs time to cool down."

""""""""

Both Heero and Kylie looked up from the database when someone barged into the room. "What do you want, Duo?" asked Heero, while Kylie returned her attention on her work. She secretly wished that she was somewhere _away_ from everyone. She needed to recover the lost files, and pronto.

Heero took in Duo's angry face, startled by the severity in it. In his part, Duo was glaring at both him and Kylie. "Why are you doing this?" he asked, there's a dangerous tone in his voice. "Why are you going out of your way to hurt Relena and Quatre?"

Heero turned away. So, that's it. He had forgotten how the news should affect the Deathscythe pilot. He had nearly forgotten how Duo loved to patch him up with Relena, playing the love-maker, which was ironic to his God of Death name. 'Should've been God of Love, then.'

"There's nothing to be discussed about. It happened," he explained.

That wasn't enough for Duo. "Wrong! It shouldn't have happened. It is impossible!"

"Duo," Heero sighed, bracing himself for another explanation. He sensed Kylie stiffened, the subject obviously tense her. And so, he started to lead Duo out of the room. "No! I'm not going to move," Duo protested, snatching his arm from his grip. "She also has a lot to answer for."

"No, she doesn't. I don't either. It's our choice."

Duo snorted. "Yeah, right. Then explain this to me. Why are you two lying?"

'How did...' Barely containing his surprise, Heero quickly feigned innocence. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Don't play dumb! I know that you two can't be married because you're _related_!" Duo exclaimed, revealing what he had known for years. "And don't give me that you're-crazy-look. I've read the DNA files, Heero. I knew for the fact that both of you are twins. And unless you tell everybody that, _I_ will."

Stunned by Duo's revelation, Heero was rendered speechless. He hadn't thought that anyone beside him and Kylie would know about that. They had destroyed the files to avoid from this to happen. To avoid the nature of their relationship being made known to others. But now...

A click from behind him stopped whatever he was going to say. They both turned to see Kylie, training a gun on Duo. There was a dangerous look in her eyes. Even more dangerous than when she was the assassin, _Treize's Revenge_. "Do that and I'll kill you right now, Maxwell," she threatened, dangerously. "And do that later and I will make you feel very, very sorry. And I will start with your precious little _wife_."

Never had Duo or Heero ever heard that deadly tone in her voice. It was as if she was a totally different person. There was no emotion in her set of winter blue eyes. No mercy. She meant what she said and she will make sure that Duo understood it.

"Let it go, Duo," said Heero, having finally found his voice. He was getting more and more concern for his twin sister. For the last few days, she had become colder and colder. He wasn't sure that even he could understand her now.

"Get out," she said, her voice calm. Heero started to push the stunned Duo out. Once he was out, he turned to comfort her but she had her gun on him as well. "Both of you." Her voice was icy. Slowly, he turned around and made his way into the hallway. The door slid close and locked.

""""""""

The door slid open. Mylin Sar Henar, former Emperor's Eye, stepped out. She turned to the left, heading towards the hangar. Her long blue black hair was tied up, revealing her alien feature so clearly. She shifted her hold on the toolbox as she walked along the quarters, when suddenly another door slid open.

Another girl exited. She too had her hair tied up. But instead of walking, she was wheeling herself out. For a minute, the two former enemies met, their gazes locked on. Silence stretched on as they worked on their will over each other.

It was Kylie who broke the silence. "Good fight," she praised. "I've never seen anything like it," she referred to Mylin's battle on Earth.

Surprised, Mylin could only nod. Then she continued her way.

"Tell me," said the other girl, stopping Mylin in midstep. "How can you master the Zero System so easily when I can't at all?"

Though she expected the question, Mylin found herself considering her answer before turning to the other girl.

"Maybe because I'm Telrhani," she answered, simply. Kylie raised her left eyebrow questioningly. So, she elaborated. "My people do not believe in compassion and love for others. In the battlefield, our only objective is to destroy not protect."

She stepped closer. "Maybe that's why the Zero System and I work so well together. Maybe that's why I did not go insane just like you and your Gundam friends."

"Meaning?" Kylie prompted.

Mylin stood over Kylie, forcing the cripple to look up. "You pilots have people to protect. You are bound to minimize casualty, for you aim to educate your enemies of the futility of war. And that's where you and the system contradicted. And that's why you go insane unless you gained control over it. The system is a weapon to destroy, Rayden, and unless you bend its thirst for destruction, you'll continue to be its slave."

Kylie looked away, her fist tightened. And Mylin finally saw the purpose behind the question. "But you're not so concern on how I mastered the system. You're more concern on why a competent pilot like you failed to control the system unlike the other Gundam pilots."

The human girl's sharp look confirmed Mylin's suspicion. But she didn't give her the chance to deny it. "Think about one thing that could've stopped you from killing then," Mylin prompted, taking both of them two years ago, where they had both met in the battlefield as enemies. "Anything that could make your will to kill weak."

Kylie stared at her as realization dawned on her. The alien nodded. "That's it," she confirmed, then stared at her hard. "Now do you think you could sacrifice that in order to become a master of the Zero System?"

Hearing silence, Mylin raised her eyebrow, impressed. "I see. You've already chosen to abandon it," she said knowing what, or better yet, who the girl had sacrificed. She bent down, eye-to-eye with her former rival.

"So the question now is this," she began. "What's stopping you?"

Kylie met her gaze evenly. Suddenly, Mylin noticed where she had placed her hands. Instead of taking them away, she gripped the armrest even tighter. "Do you think _this_ ought to stop you?" she said, referring to the wheelchair.

The redhead remained silent. Mylin sighed, standing up. "I guess I should've known the answer already." Then her face turned serious again. "But there is one more thing you need to take into consideration."

"What's that?"

"If I could master the system easily, being less a pilot than you, think of what a full-fledged Telrhani pilot could do with the system."

The look the girl threw her would've withered a flower but soon the suspicion was replaced by a look of deep thought. Then Mylin saw the girl nodded as if decided on something. "Thank you for the input. I know exactly what to do now."

Sensing that she had been dismissed, Mylin walked away, leaving the girl with her thoughts. As she was about to turn around a corner, a voice stopped her again. "Thank you," said Kylie, looking at her. Then she made her way towards the gym.

Mylin watched her go. A tiny smile made its way onto her lips. She and Kylie would never be friends but at least, they were enemies no more.

""""""""

Heero watched as Kylie took her turn at the beams again. Though she had refused any assistance from the resident therapist, the woman stood not far away, eyeing her stubborn patient. But even she had to admit that Kylie was doing well in her exercise.

He turned away from the sight and sighed. It had been hours after Duo's outburst and his sister had calmed almost surprisingly. But Heero still couldn't shake the bad feelings away. He was worried for his twin. He was worried because he could hardly read her thoughts as late. He could hardly predict her moods ever since she was brought there and saw Quatre Winner again.

And as much as he hated to admit it, Heero couldn't shake off the twinge of fear inside him.

But now, trying to balance herself on the handlebars, Kylie looked almost normal. Her face had the look of quiet determination as trickles of sweat poured down her cheeks. She seemed to look more like Sara, the girl who had fought her way up from the _ruins_ that the Telrhani War left her. A girl who was as unstoppable as...

"Relena," he whispered. How the mention of her name pained him, nobody knew. His heart wrenched at the lie he had told Relena. But he had to do that. And he had to stay strong. For his only family.

Suddenly, an inspiration struck him. Casting a last glance at his sister, Heero exited to find Wu Fei.

""""""""

"Standby for Operation Annihilation," **_Heero-clone_** heard the operator spoke through the channel. He made his final checks on the system before waiting for the order to launch. He sensed his other clone-counterparts doing the same thing.

It had taken them by surprise when Winteridge told them that they were going speed things up. But they all understood his reasons pretty well. Ever since the real Kylie Rayden was found to be alive, the duke and their instructor had acted a little peculiar. Heero knew the connection between the girl and the duke but he had scant idea about Instructor D's connection to her. That and the fact that it was a former Gundam pilot that had been hacking into their computer system contributed to this early attack.

Thinking of the attack, **_Heero's_** lips curved into a twisted smile. He had waited a long time for this. After been waiting for such a long time, the target was finally left open. And with its destruction, they can finally start launching their final attack on their enemies.

He licked his lips, somehow tasting the sweet taste of victory. His fingers stroked the throttle, impatiently.

"Control to pilots. Launch now," said the flight commander.

""""""""

Wu Fei was walking along the hallway when a passing young lady greeted him. Hearing the familiarity in her voice, he stopped in his tracks, startled. "You?"

Mylin stopped, looking at Wu Fei's surprise expression. She felt his eyes trailed on her dark smeared body and disheveled appearance. "What?" she started. "You mean the grease? I was making some repairs on Altron."

Wu Fei ignored the mention of his Gundam. Instead, he continued to study her. She was wearing a blue tank top, khaki pants and a pair of boots. She had tied her black hair into two ponytails, making her looked more human than Terhani.

But that wasn't the thing that startled Wu Fei. Seeing her like that, reminded him of Long Meirang, his wife. On the day when she was killed. She had been wearing the same too!

Mylin put up her oily hands in mock defense. "Alright, alright. Stop staring, will you? Or you'll burn a hole into me," she said, sarcastically. Her eyes flashed, thinking that he was about to challenge her about something.

Hearing the slight accent that betrayed her heritage, Wu Fei was pulled out from his reverie. He shook himself. "You look dirty," he said, coming up with something that could cover his prior reaction.

Mylin snorted. "Everybody's a cryptic. You should be thankful that at least I'm taking care of your Gundam for you."

His reply to her sarcasm died at the mention of Nataku. A quick sensation passed into him as he remembered Long Meirang again. Without any words, he started to walk away.

"You love her, didn't you?" said the alien, stopping him again. For a second, Wu Fei debated whether he should respond or not.

"That's why you kept the news away from Winner all these years."

'What?' he startled, then realized with a pang that Mylin was talking about Kylie.

He turned to her. "What are you talking about?" he demanded.

Mylin put her hands on her waist. "Don't deny it, Chang Wu Fei. I've seen the way you look at her. You love her. That's the reason why you participate in their little charade." Her chin dipped up, defiantly. "To keep her away from Quatre Winner."

"I don't..."

She put up her hand to stop him. "Save it, Wu Fei. It's all clearly written in your eyes," she said. "But I'm more concern with the big secret that Heero and Kylie seemed to be keeping from us."

He blinked at the sudden change of subject. "Secret? I didn't know..."

Before he could finish his sentence, Heero appeared. He was looking at Wu Fei purposefully. "Speaking of the devil," Wu Fei heard Mylin muttered. Then she waved good bye at him. "I'll take my leave now."

Wu Fei's eyes followed her until she was gone. By then, Heero reached him. "Wu Fei."

He sighed. What now? More favors?

"Come with me," said the silent pilot.

"What is it?" he asked, matching Heero's quick strides.

"There's something I want you to see."

Curious, Wu Fei followed him. If this had anything to do with Kylie, he found himself willing to do it. Yes, he had to admit to himself then if not to Mylin, that he is in love with Kylie Rayden. But he knew that she didn't feel the same. After a while, Wu Fei began to feel strange. 'This isn't the way to the crew quarters.'

"Where are you taking me, Heero?" he asked, curiously. "Isn't this the way to the infirmary?"

Heero didn't answer him. He continued to lead Wu Fei into a dark room. There, he faced Wu Fei.

"Well?" asked the Chinese pilot impatiently.

Heero pulled a switch and the room was swallowed by a blinding light. Wu Fei looked through the window and gasped. "What's this?"

""""""""

"Target sighted."

"Copy that, **_Heero_**. Initiate Operation Annihilation."

"Roger that."

'Destroy them.'

""""""""

He stood at the window, overlooking a small room filled with exercise equipment. There was a large mattress covering the entire floor. The room was empty, save for a couple of people who occupied the far end of the room. One of them was standing or rather leaning against a wall but her posture was ready and alert. She was watching another person, in a sweat suit, moving slowly between two handlebars. _Moving slowly_ seemed to be an understatement because the girl looked as if she was struggling to drag her dangling limbs to the other end of the handlebars. And that person seemed to be familiar.

"What's this?" he demanded, turning to Heero after he identified who it was.

Heero nodded at the sight beyond the window. "Just watch carefully."

"What are you at, Heero?" he asked, suspiciously. Was Heero trying to play with his emotions? He knew how Wu Fei felt for Kylie.

"Just look at her," he repeated.

"No!" said Wu Fei, backing away. He had had enough with Mylin and didn't want to deal with Heero on the same thing. "I'm leaving."

"You're not!" Heero barked, stopping him in his tracks. The Wing Zero pilot rarely raised his voice and it somehow startled Wu Fei.

Suddenly, the entire place was drowned by the sound of the alarms. Both of them ignored it, glaring at each other. Beyond the thin pane of glass, they saw Kylie stumbled and fell, startled by the alarms.

"Look at her, Wu Fei. And tell me what do you see."

Wu Fei did, just out of spite. The therapist had already run to Kylie's side, fussing over her. Kylie pushed the woman away, saying something angrily. "She didn't give up," said Heero, as Kylie grabbed the handlebars again without assistance. They watched her as she continued her exercise.

"What do you mean?"

"She took a fall and she got up afterwards. _Every single time_," said Heero, watching Wu Fei now. "What's your reason?"

Wu Fei started. So that was it? This was about him and Altron.

"All Gundam pilots please assemble in the launch bay!" someone announced. Wu Fei winced, imagining Mylin running in his stead.

"Watch her, Wu Fei. And then tell me that I'm not wasting my time here," said Heero. He then ran towards the exit. Wu Fei turned back to Kylie, watching her made it to the other side. She then reversed the procedure to return to her wheelchair, which was on the other end.

"Have I truly given up?"

""""""""

When Heero reached the launch bay, he saw his Gundam being loaded into a space shuttle. A little disoriented, Heero searched for someone he knew. He found Howard, who waved him over. "Heero! Good, you're here."

He waited for the old man to continue. "MO V is under attack. Lady Une is sending help."

Knowing exactly who had the motive to attack the Preventer's main headquarters, Heero nodded. "Roger that," he said, making his way towards the changing room. He will need his spacesuit for this.

""""""""

Trowa dressed as quickly as he could. When the emergency call came, he had been on a phone trying to reach his sister. But like all his other tries, he couldn't get to her. He was in fact getting worried and was planning to return to L3 that day just to see if she was alright.

Then, he was informed that MO V was under attack. And reluctantly, he had to abandon his intentions, knowing that they were two experienced pilots short.

He could hardly believe that Winteridge would call an attack on the Preventers' headquarters. The base was well-fortified and well-secured. In fact, it was the most secure place of all, that even the Telrhani didn't launch a direct attack on it when they were there.

So, what gave Winteridge the courage to attack a place and risk defeat?

The second he saw Heavyarms, he got his answer. And he almost smacked his forehead for not figuring it out sooner. The reason was because the Gundams were usually there, on MO V. That would make MO V a dangerous place to target. To attack would be like shoving a pole into a bee hive.

And cleverly, Winteridge had it figured out. He had purposely lured the Gundam pilots to Earth with a fake attack so that they would leave the main base unprotected. Although he had not expected the outcome of the battle on Earth, he had successfully driven the Gundam pilots and the Preventers into thinking that Earth was in danger of a nuclear disaster.

Trowa cursed himself. He slipped on his helmet as Heavyarms was loaded into the space shuttle. It would take them some time to reach MO V in time. The outpost was situated farther away from Earth than any other colonies. And they were also innocent civilians on MO V that needed rescuing.

In the end, he decided on one thing. MO V must not fall.

At all cost.

""""""""

Mylin gritted her teeth, furiously wondering why she hadn't been given the green light yet. She knew that it will take time before they finally escape Earth's gravity pull to safely release the Gundams. But that didn't ease her anxiety, instead she felt it growing.

Which was ironic. A few years ago, she could care less about the Earth and these people that she fought to protect. A few years ago, she had descended on the Earth in a mission to destroy it and conquer its people. A few years ago, these humans were her enemy and that her loyalty rested solely on the empire.

So, why was she leaving the great blue ball in an attempt to save it?

She didn't know why but somehow, over the years, she had begun to love this planet. She had begun thinking it as her own home. Mylin never belonged anywhere back in the Telrhan Empire. Being born a slave didn't exactly give her a feeling that she truly belong somewhere, except to _somebody_. And being the Emperor's Eyes destroyed any need to find a place for herself, for she was so fully occupied with protecting the emperor's best interest.

And the humans, of course. She found herself liking them more and more. The reason was still unknown to her but Mylin always found it fascinating to see how they could sometimes take joy in life regardless how small it is. Even the poor could smile even when they were in deep need. Their sufferings would be laced with a shred of contentment and hope.

All these motivate her to fight, to protect them. She cannot allow a few foolhardy humans who didn't realized just how lucky they were, to ruin such paradise. She knew that although her skills and strength didn't lie in fighting with a Gundam, she just had to take Chang's Nataku, in a hope that she could at least cause some damage on the enemy with it.

A beep broke her deep thoughts. She powered up Altron and was out of the shuttle even before the shuttle's pilot gave her the green light. She felt exhilarated, fully ready for battle. Her fingers moved across the alien controls, having familiarized with it at last. She listened intently as Quatre Winner began to issue his orders to Heero, Trowa and her. She looked ahead, anxious to meet the battle.

And she gasped.

They were too late!

""""""""

Quatre could barely contain the gasp from escaping his lips. The sight before him tore his heart and wrenched all hopes away. MO V was completely annihilated! Debris from the familiar white Tauruses that belonged to the Preventers scattered all across the vacuum of space. He could also see something tiny that looked like five-pointed stars floating about.

Human bodies!

"My god!" he heard Duo's voice in the comm. Clearly, he had received a visual relay from one of them. There was an eerie moment of deep silent.

"It can't end like this!" the alien, Mylin finally found her voice.

But all of them truly knew what it meant. They knew what would happen next. They knew that from that moment on, their lives would never be the same again.

In the background, the Gundam pilots heard the unmistakable sound of a news report, coming from the Earth base. They listened intently, helpless. "I repeat. MO V is totally destroyed," said the newscaster. "As a result, the colonies are preparing to surrender and swear allegiance to the Jupiter forces."

"Noooo!" they heard someone from the Earth base cried.

Quatre couldn't tear his eyes away from the devastation to check who it was. To form words was a struggle.

"We've lost!" the words sounded weird in his ears, almost unbelievable.

At the same time, a Preventer agent whispered. "Winteridge has won."

**THE END.**

**CONTINUED IN SHATTERED WALLS.**

**AUTHOR REPLIES: **So there, the end of the first part of the duology. I'm sorry if I'm taking such a looong time with the update. My job and classes are taking up so much of my time. Bad me. Anyway, here's the reply to all your kind reviews. I love this part!

**Ookami Kage: **Since I'll be busy with work and stuff, guess my dad has his wish in keeping me away from the 'net. sigh So, there you get your answer on the whole Heero-Kylie thing. For some reason, they want to keep Quatre away from her. The reason, well, you'll have to keep reading (of course, he is marrying Dorothy). And we all know Heero and Relena are meant to be together so why change? Besides, I love to see them together. As for Wu Fei and Trowa, well, there might be hope yet. Duo's out of the list since he's with Hilde but no, no children yet. They're too busy keeping people sane! About the prisoners, yes, they will be rescued eventually. And I'd like to thank you for your reviews. You really keep me going.

**Arina Kim: **No, don't hate me! He... he... it seems that I annoyed quite a number of people for having Kylie ditching Quatre like that. I know, he's a sweet boy. You love him; I love him but why won't Kylie? There is a mystery behind it. You'll have to keep reading to find out though, it is possible for someone to fall out of love (or maybe she's blaming Quatre?). And Kylie is not the most expressive person so, kissing Quatre or any guy might be the last thing you'll catch her doing.

Apologies for misinterpreting your views on the whole Kylie-Sara relation thing. I was too excited to answer the replies to think much about it. And thank you for liking the story so much. I have a nice time reading your reply.

**SilverRocks: **Yeah, what Heero and Kylie are doing to Quatre is terrible. But I hope you would not hate them that much. Besides, Quatre IS MARRYING Dorothy, remember?

**Justin: **Wow! I didn't know you hate Dorothy THAT much. Hope Kylie isn't on that list after what she'd done to Quatre (and Duo, in this chapter). Thanks for the review. It felt as if you were really here, cheering me on. And please, do write something on Quatre-Relena. I really want to see how that could play out. Oh! I noticed you had your new fics up. I'll be sure to read it.

I agree with your views on Char's Counterattack. Its symbolism with the WW2 is incredible. But while many say that the strength in GW lies with its graphics (and some say pretty boys design the nerve!) my reason for sticking with GW was mostly the interaction between the 5 pilots. From Heero's stoic monotone antiques to Duo's quick and witty jokes, I found myself memorizing lines after lines!

Hey, I heard they're making a new Gundam series. Hope it'll be as good.

So, there! Until the next series. I'll be quick, I promise.


End file.
